


The Fox and the Falcon

by Onhiro



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Day 1: Flirty, Day 2: First Date, Day 3: Dancing, Day 4: Comfort, Day 5: Sleepy, Day 7: Free Day, F/F, F/M, hamanda week 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25261171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onhiro/pseuds/Onhiro
Summary: After a very tumultuous 1st Year that has changed life across the entire world, the witches we all know and love have entered their 2nd Year. Relationships have begun, and love continues to blossom amongst them. Amusing, though, how it started off as a bet for the feistiest among their ranks...A story written for Hamanda Week 2020.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari (mentioned), Frank/Lotte Yanson (mentioned), Hannah England/Amanda O'Neill
Comments: 63
Kudos: 87





	1. Turnabout Is Fair Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1: Flirty
> 
> Life has continued on its way for the witches of the Red, Blue, and Green teams as they navigate the classes of their 2nd Year. But there is one thing that has been bothering Hannah for some time, and that's how Amanda has been perfectly content to use her newfound fame and celebrity status to shamelessly flirt with the starstruck First Years. She's not sure quite why it bothers her so much, but it does. And so when Sucy suggests that she gives Amanda a taste of her own medicine, she readily agrees. After all, why _wouldn't_ she take the opportunity to put the brash American witch in her place?
> 
> Though, in hindsight, she really should have expected what came of it all...

Turnabout Is Fair Play

“Ugh, she’s doing it again.” Hannah’s voice was fairly dripping with disgust as she deposited her tray on the lunch table, and the others already seated gave her curious glances as she sat down in her chair. “Has she no shame?”

“Who?” Akko asked from her spot by Diana, a spoonful of potatoes half way to her mouth.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Who else?” she asked as she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, and Akko craned her neck to look around her.

“Ah.”

 _‘Ah’ indeed_ , Hannah thought sourly as she sprinkled salt and pepper on her food. Amanda was up to her usual tricks, and was currently shamelessly flirting with a First Year student, almost pinning the younger witch against the wall with one hand resting above her shoulder. Granted, the girl didn’t seem too bothered by it, given the grin that joined the flustered blush on her face, and Amanda was leaving plenty of room for the girl to run off if she wanted to. With the way that the girl was looking up through her eyelashes at the taller American witch and how she was tucking her hair behind her ear, it wasn’t likely that she was going to, which just served to irk Hannah even further. “It’s always with the First Years, too,” Hannah continued on. “Just because we’re Second Years now doesn’t mean we should pick on the younger girls!”

“Aww, she isn’t picking on them, she’s just flirting! She stops if they’re uncomfortable or they ask her too. What’s the harm of it?” Akko asked, and Hannah huffed.

“It’s crass, that’s the harm of it. She does it to _all_ of them! I’d understand if she found a girl, flirted with her, and started dating her, but that’s not what she does.” She glanced over her shoulder to see the younger witch scamper off, still blushing and with a goofy grin on her face as Amanda finally got in line for her food. “I’ll bet you anything that Amanda will hardly talk to the poor dear now. It’s like a game for her.”

Sucy snorted from further down the table. “You only _wish_ you had her confidence.”

A year ago, that would have started a fight all its own, but after more than a year of knowing the prickly (and slightly terrifying) Filipina witch, Hannah merely rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, we all know that I don’t have any problems with confidence.”

“You can say that again…” Sucy drawled.

“Sucy!” Lotte hissed under her breath.

Hannah ignored their bickering as she went on. “Trust me, if there was someone who caught my interest here, I would have made my move long ago.” She sniffed indignantly. “But given that neither Andrew or Frank go here-”

“Hey!” came the protest from Lotte, and Hannah blinked before realizing her faux-pas.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lotte, are you two official now?” She didn’t try to hide the eager note in her voice at her query. Of the entire Red Team, Lotte was the easiest to get along with, and Hannah was quite happy that Barbara had someone to talk _Nightfall_ with…she still hadn’t managed to get into the series, besides the odd arc that coincided with one of her interests. She’d never be able to provide the incredibly in depth discussions that her other two friends had about the books. And besides, while they were having their reading club meetings, Hannah could play video games with Cons and Amanda and cook with Jasminka. So far as Sucy and Akko went, well…Sucy was _Sucy_ and while Hannah was glad that Akko’s relationship with Diana was going very well (Diana seemed just so much more relaxed and down to Earth now, though Hannah wouldn’t lie and say that she didn’t wish that she and Barbara could have done the same to help Diana) she and Akko just didn’t quite get along.

Granted, the hostility that had been known between Akko and Barbara and herself was nothing more than a memory that had long been forgiven (after much apologizing and making up of their frankly bullying behavior towards Akko), but if Hannah had a choice, she wouldn’t choose to hang out with Akko if it was just the two of them. They were acquaintances, not friends. Nothing wrong with that, either. Hannah respected Akko and was grateful for what she was doing with Diana, but that was about the extent of it. But Lotte? Hannah was positively delighted when Lotte shyly blushed and nodded. “Oh, I’m so happy for you!” She sighed almost dreamily. “Frank seems like such a gentleman.”

Lotte’s blush faded, replaced by a soft, gentle smile. “He really is. He’s been so respectful of my wishes and so patient to wait for me.”

“Have you posted it on WitchBook yet?” Barbara asked with a wide grin.

“Not yet, I was going to this morning, but Akko-”

“Why don’t you give her a taste of her own medicine?” Sucy cut in, ignoring how half the table was glaring at her as her red, baleful eye met Hannah’s gaze.

“Pardon?”

“Amanda. She’s heading this way. If you’re so tired of her flirting with people, why don’t you return the favor?” A wicked grin. “Turnabout is fair play, isn’t it?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be her friend?” Hannah asked, her voice flat.

Sucy looked genuinely confused at that. “I am. What’s that have to do with anything?”

Hannah stared at her for a moment. “Huh.”

“Hey, nerds, what’cha talking about?” Amanda asked as she plopped down at the table with all the grace of a sack of potatoes. If Hannah didn’t know that Amanda was a skilled broom dancer…

“Lotte and Frank are finally official!” Akko said excitedly around a mouth full of potatoes.

Diana sighed. “Akko, dear, I know you’re excited, but please don’t talk with your mouth full.”

A loud swallow. “Oh, right. Sorry, Diana.”

“Mmm.”

Amanda was looking at Lotte, a pleased grin on her face and teasing glint in her eyes, something that didn’t bode well at all. “Really? ‘Grats, Lotte, didn’t think you had it in you. You two do it yet?”

And there it was. “I hardly think that’s appropriate, Amanda,” Hannah said.

“What? It was just a question. He’s a fine piece of ass. I mean, I wouldn’t do him, but that’s because I’m-”

“Amanda.” It was Jas who spoke up, her face completely flat and brown eyes vaguely threatening as she stared at her uncouth team leader. “Apologize. Now.”

Amanda opened her mouth before looking around at the rest of the table, noting how all of them were fairly glaring at her, all except Lotte, who had her head down, hiding her face behind her hair and glasses. Amanda’s mouth clicked shut, and she looked down at her tray. “Sorry, Lotte. I was just teasing. Frank seems like a good dude. I’m happy for you.”

Jasminka continued to stare at Amanda for a moment before her smile returned to her face, and she returned to her food. Cons continued to glare at Amanda for a moment longer before she returned to fiddling with Stanbot, and it took a bit before the conversations around the table started up again.

It was at that moment that Hannah decided that she was going to do what Sucy had suggested. It really was time for Amanda to get a taste of her own medicine! She glanced up to find Sucy watching her. Their eyes met, and Sucy stared at her for a moment before a positively wicked grin spread across Sucy’s face, her sharp teeth flashing in the light. Without saying a word, she returned to her food, leaving Hannah to question if what she was doing was actually a good idea or not. But then the thought of Lotte sitting with her head down flashed again through Hannah’s mind, steeling her resolve.

Yup. Amanda deserved what was coming to her.

xxxXXXxxx

Hannah decided that she was going to start as soon as possible and figured that dinner was just as good a time to start as any. The chances of a teacher interfering was negligible, and the rest of the girls already had something of an idea that this was coming. _Operation: Make Amanda Pay_ was a go! To her surprise, Hannah was seized by a feeling that could only be described as giddy anticipation as she got ready. Schooling for a witch from a prominent family being what it was, she really didn’t get all that many chances to flirt with boys. Sure, at parties and other social events, but those were almost choreographed, with what was and what was not acceptable well known by the attendees thereof. It was a dance with steps that were almost never deviated from. Hannah had noticed that recently it just wasn’t as much fun to flirt with the boys anymore. Most of them seemed concerned with one thing, and Hannah was _not_ one of those girls!

But outside of parties? It was pretty difficult to well and truly flirt. Even in Blytonbury…most of the boys in town seemed hesitant to do much of anything with girls from Luna Nova. Perhaps too many times getting turned into a toad for an uncouth comment or gesture had taken the starch out of them. So, yes, Hannah was rather excited as she applied a light layer of makeup and a shade of lipstick that subtly drew attention to her lips. Likewise, she was sparing with the perfume, a flowery scent with a hint of spiciness to it. Rather than spritzing it on herself, she sprayed it in the air before walking through the crowd. Boys were so heavy handed with their cologne so as to be almost overpowering, she thought as she rolled her eyes. She’d try subtlety first, and if Amanda didn’t respond the way she wanted to, then she’d turn it up.

“Babs, hair up or down?” she asked over her shoulder as she peered curiously in her mirror.

“Hmm…down. Definitely down,” Barbara replied. “So you’re going through with this?”

“Yes. She took it too far with Lotte and needs to learn her place.” She shrugged gracefully. “And besides, if she can flirt without it meaning anything, why can’t I?” In the mirror, she noticed the way that Barbara was looking at her. Despite basically being Barbara’s twin, she couldn’t read her closest friend’s expression. Turning around in her chair to fully face Barbara, she quirked her brow. “What?”

Barbara shifted slightly, a mildly uncomfortable expression on her face. “Well, it’s just…” Her mouth quirked to the side. “…nothing. It’s nothing.”

Hannah frowned, concerned. “Barb?” She pouted, knowing Barbara was weak against her sad puppy expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Han, what if it actually means something?”

Hannah blinked at her for a moment before she threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, please!” she gasped. “Don’t make me laugh that hard, I’ll cry and I _just_ put mascara on. Meaning something! Ha! Like I said, this is just to put her in her place. It’s just like her flirting with those flitting little birds from the First Year.”

“Except it isn’t, though,” Barbara mumbled. “You actually know Amanda. You hang out with her. This could definitely have a negative impact on your relationship if she takes it too seriously.” She paused. “I mean, come on, _Sucy_ was the one who suggested it. She’s kinda known for her cruelty, Hannah.”

Hannah paused, digesting the words. Barbara was important to her, and so were her opinions. “Okay, you’ve got a point. But come on, it’s not like we haven’t been the victims of some of Amanda’s pranks. I’ll just tease her for a bit, and after she’s good and flustered, I’ll reveal the prank. You _know_ she appreciates a good prank. She even congratulated you when you turned her skin green and made it so she could only speak in limericks on Saint Patty’s day.”

Barbara grinned briefly at that. “Ha, yeah, that was a good one.” The smile disappeared. “Still, though, just be careful.”

Hannah grinned at her. “Always.”

xxxXXXxxx

The way that the other students stopped and stared at her as she and Barbara walked to the canteen made her feel powerful, gave strength to each step that she swayed her hips alluringly to. She wasn’t as beautiful as Diana…face it, no one was as drop dead gorgeous as Diana was, but then, Diana very rarely flaunted that beauty. Sometimes it was even like Diana didn’t even know how heart-stopping her looks were. Hannah, however, _knew_ she looked good, and knew how to make the most use of her charm to turn the head. She had previously only ever unleashed her charm on boys, but now, seeing how she was catching the eyes of her fellow witches…it felt good, and she could understand why Amanda flirted the way she did. But the difference between the two of them was that it seemed like Amanda would flirt with anyone with a pulse, whereas Hannah had a _very_ specific target.

She had intentionally timed it so that she and Barb arrived later than everyone else, and even considering any attempts that Amanda might make at flirting with her next unlucky victim, they should all be seated by now. She and Barbara burst through the doors with graceful authority, acting for all the world like they owned the place. Heads turned, eyes opened wide, and jaws dropped. Hannah smirked before swishing onwards, her skirt brushing against her thighs. She was well-known enough by all the students that any of them could see that she had put in a little more effort in her appearance than usual, and the payoff for that effort was quite satisfactory.

She was right, Amanda was sitting down, and it looked like she was joking with Akko about something or other when the sudden hush must have gotten her attention, she glanced around the room, her eyes sweeping over Hannah before she froze and did an honest-to-the-Nine double-take, suddenly wide green eyes staring at Hannah for a moment before they swept up and down Hannah’s body as she turned her seat away from the table so that she wasn’t looking over her shoulder at such an awkward angle. A tingling shiver ran over Hannah at the look, and for a fraction of a second, her stride faltered at the frankly appreciative look Amanda had given her. But then her resolve came back, and she continued onward, making a bee line towards the table, ignoring the line for food.

That appreciative look turned surprised, then confused, and then slightly apprehensive as Hannah walked directly up to the seated troublemaker, her hazel eyes never leaving Amanda. Upon reaching the seated Yank, she gracefully draped herself over Amanda’s shoulders, almost pouring herself into her lap, the top of Amanda’s thighs firm and warm against the seat of her skirt. She ignored how _that_ felt (when was the last time she had sat in anyone’s lap?) as she stared deeply into those still shocked green eyes. “Have I ever told you that I adore your eyes?” she almost purred, delighting in the fierce blush that suddenly took to Amanda’s cheeks. “They remind me of the green fields of Ireland…”

Amanda only stared at her as her arms reflexively came up to wrap loosely around Hannah’s waist. “Uhhh…” she said, the absolute picture of eloquence. The opportunity was too good to pass on.

“What’s the matter, luv, cat got your tongue?” Hannah asked with a tilt to her head, her hair brushing against her shoulder. Then she was leaning in so that her mouth was close to Amanda’s ear, their cheeks only just barely brushing against each other. “I know someone who could _get_ your tongue,” she murmured throatily, smirking as Amanda stiffened underneath her, and she sucked in a deep, raspy breath as Hannah leaned away to take in the now deeply crimson cheeks. Victory. Absolute and complete victory. She reached up and pat Amanda’s hot cheek before she slid off the other girl’s lap, sashaying over to the food, a thrill running through her at how the canteen was almost dead silent, even the serving staff staring at her in shock. After a long moment, the conversations in the room began to pick up again, and she grinned to herself, absolutely delighted. Hannah 1, Amanda 0!

xxxXXXxxx

Now, Hannah knew enough about Amanda to know that the other girl was anything but passive, and that her retribution would come swiftly. Thankfully, that actually worked to Hannah’s advantage. Amanda was brash, she didn’t think too many things through, trusting her gut to get her out of trouble. Unfortunately for the taller American, someone who knew that about her could use that to her advantage. Another thing giving Hannah the advantage was that she had already seen a very great many of Amanda’s flirting techniques. Amanda seemed more drawn to the meek, using her taller frame to establish some dominance against her target. Said target usually got flustered, allowing Amanda to take control of the situation and the conversation. However, this technique did not work on someone who not only knew about it, but was expecting it.

And so, that next morning, Hannah actually had to hide her smirk when Amanda ambushed her on the way to breakfast. Hannah had foregone most of the makeup but had retained the use of her perfume, knowing that as Amanda crowded into her space she could smell the gentle fragrance. For a moment, Amanda smirked, a look of relief in her eyes as Hannah backed up, Amanda’s hand pressed against the wall next to her head. “That was a neat trick you pulled last night,” Amanda husked with a confident smirk.

Again, it was almost impossible for Hannah not to smirk as she counterattacked. Peering up through her long eyelashes at Amanda, she drew her eyebrows together and up in an expression that was equal parts pleading and worried, and she stepped forward into Amanda’s space, their chests almost touching. Like magic, Amanda’s smirk fled away, replaced by an unsure and confused look as Hannah lifted her hand and placed her it between Amanda’s neck and shoulder, fingertips just barely curling over the top of the firm muscle, palm resting against clavicle and upper chest. She made sure to breathe deeply, and added a small, breathy hitch to her voice as she answered. “Who says it was a trick, Amanda?”

Once again, vivid green eyes stared down at her even as Hannah grew aware of just how warm Amanda’s body was, radiating against her as they stood close together. Neither of them said anything as they held each other’s gaze.

“You two, what are you doing?”

Finnelan’s curious yet stern voice had them breaking apart, Amanda almost leaping back in the hallways, and they turned to see her staring at them, one brow curiously arched over her steel blue eyes. Hannah dipped into a smooth curtsy. “On our way to breakfast, ma’am,” she said.

Finnelan stared at them for a moment longer before she huffed, turning away. “Get there, then. You’ve just enough time to eat before classes start.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

Not looking at each other, they made their way through the halls, and for a moment, Hannah was slightly troubled. The heat of Amanda’s body so close to hers lingered longer than she expected it to…but she was in it to win it, and she wouldn’t let so small a thing dissuade her now.

And so it went on. Hannah almost aggressively kept the initiative, turning any and all attempts on the part of Amanda to fluster her around on the taller witch. In some ways, it was almost startlingly easy. She had expected more of a fight, but it wasn’t long before Amanda seemed to quit trying to fluster Hannah. It puzzled Hannah for quite a few nights when sleep did not come easily until she came upon the answer that was so simple that it _had_ to be true: Amanda simply wasn’t used to anyone initiating flirting against her. She had always been the one to start it with the first years, and even during their own first year, she had such an air of rebellious “badassitude” about her that Hannah could not recall a single instance of anyone approaching Amanda first…it was almost like Amanda had no idea what to do if she was the target of flirting. In only a few weeks, Amanda stopped trying to start stuff. But it wasn’t like she seemed to dislike the attention. Oh, no, quite the opposite! Hannah had noticed how those striking green eyes sought her out more often, Amanda’s face almost…yearning, almost _needy_ as her gaze found Hannah.

It was that more than anything that goaded Hannah to keep up the game. That, and Amanda had stopped teasing the first years as their little tête-à-tête went on. Hannah held Amanda’s attention, and Amanda…well, Amanda held Hannah’s attention. She couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not, really. Of course, the main problem she was having was that in order to properly flirt with Amanda, she needed to concentrate on those traits about Amanda that she liked. The more traits she hunted, the more she grew to admire Amanda, even with how absolutely bullheaded and obnoxious she could be.

But for all that, Amanda? Amanda was…

She was brave. She was often the first out of her seat or on her feet whenever there was a hint of danger, of something going wrong.

She was loyal. Hannah knew at least one situation where Amanda knew about some tomfoolery that some of the other witches were up to…and not just on her team, she once covered for Elfriede despite it earning her detention for two hours after class.

She was kind. When she came upon a younger First Year who was homesick and crying, she sat with the girl and told her stories about some of the adventures she had been on. She stayed with the girl for nearly two hours, only leaving when she was certain that her mood was better.

She was smart. Her grades aside, she could hold her own in complex discussions and debates, and her pranks were all intricately thought out.

She was fierce. She enjoyed pranking others, but always in the spirit of fun. The one thing that Amanda couldn’t stand was a bully. When she found out that some Third Years were picking on a First Year, she was just about beside herself in rage, especially when the teachers were slow to react. The ensuing fight put her in detention for an entire weekend, but she had grinned in the aftermath, saying it had all been worth it.

She was beautiful. Not the classy beauty of Diana, of course, but a wild and free beauty that captured the eye and held the attention, confident and vibrant.

She was free. Free as the wild wind, going where she willed, as gentle as a warm summer breeze and as powerful as a hurricane. And like the wind, she would not yield to the stifling whims of others she held little respect for.

She was one of the Nine New Witches, playing her part to bring magic back to the entire world.

Amanda O’Neill was all these things and more.

Then the most curious thing happened. At first it was so subtle that it was hardly noticeable. If Hannah had to pick any one time that it started, it was when she had started praising Amanda’s intelligence with her flirting. Shortly after that, Amanda actually started putting forth more effort into her studies. Less napping and goofing off in class and more actually giving her homework the attention it needed.

Amanda was improving her behavior, and just because Hannah had taken the extra effort to point out that she really was smart, rather than the dismissive behavior from the teachers and some of her peers. It…kinda actually made Hannah sad. And so she started to go out of her way to really point out the good things about Amanda.

It wasn’t just a game anymore. It wasn’t about putting Amanda into her place, it was about lifting her up, helping her realize her potential.

The epiphany hit with all the grace of a lorry when she had it, lying in bed after more than a month of flirting and teasing Amanda:

Amanda liked her flirting with her…and Hannah liked it, too. And what’s more, even just hanging out with Amanda and the rest of the Green Team just seemed more fun and interesting, but the flirting? The flirting was what was the most fun.

She really liked coming up behind Amanda as she was sitting down, draping her arms over her shoulders as she gave her greetings. She liked how Amanda gave that easy grin of hers as she dropped her head back against Hannah’s shoulder. She liked hugging Amanda whenever she came in with her latest exam showing a good result. She liked pointing out how just as many First Years looked to her as they did Diana when broom riding, something that had actually calmed her wild flying down. “I can get away with flying like that, but I don’t want anyone to get hurt trying to copy me!” she had said by way of explanation. Nelson had been flabbergasted, and had later demanded to know how Hannah had managed to tame the indomitable O’Neill. Hannah had wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her by them. _You just had to care!_ she wanted to scream. _You just had to show her that you actually care about her as a person!_

At least she could talk to her friends about it all, and fairly chattered their ears off about how well Amanda was doing. Barbara, of course, suffered the brunt of it in good humor. “Can you believe it?” Hannah was saying one night that Diana was staying out late tutoring Akko as the two of them got ready for bed. “An A on her Magic Law test! That was her worst subject and now she’s doing quite well in it.”

Barbara hummed, amused from where she was sitting at her nightstand, brushing her hair. “You talk about Amanda almost all the time now.” The words were neutral, almost offhand, but they still gave Hannah pause, and she turned to look at Barb.

“I do?”

The look Barb shot her was bemused. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice?”

She hadn’t, actually, but now that she thought about it…she did, didn’t she? “Huh,” she said with a thoughtful frown.

“You know, there’s actually a rumor going around that you two are dating.”

Hannah stared at her for a moment before she burst out laughing. “What? Oh, come on now, that’s preposterous. Us? Dating?” She shook her head. “As if that would ever happen. Last time I checked, Amanda wasn’t a man.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Let them have their rumors. Doesn’t make them true.”

“If you say so,” Barb said, and then changed the subject. It wasn’t until a few hours later after several different conversations (including one about an upcoming ball that the Red and Green teams were going to be formally invited to so they wouldn’t feel obligated to crash it), Diana returned with slightly swollen lips and what could only be described as a dopey smile on her face, and them getting in bed and turning out the lights that Barb spoke again, voice soft in the darkness.

“Hannah, I need you to do something for me.”

“Hmm?”

“I want you to close your eyes and picture Andrew.”

“What?” she asked, completely confused by the request.

“Just...do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“Please, Han.”

Sighing at how Barb was being so vague, Hannah did as requested, picturing the handsome son of the Minister of State. A pity that he was so boring, though at least he was getting more and more supportive of magic. “Right, now what?”

“Okay, now, I want you to think about kissing him.”

“I really don’t see where you’re going with this, but fine.” Hmm. That would be nice, she supposed. He was suave, to be sure, and she could imagine that he would be a good kisser, and-

“Okay, now imagine kissing Amanda.”

Teasing green eyes staring down at her, tanned skin in dim light, soft curves and firm muscles pressed against her, red hair wild, a cocky grin on full lips as they swooped down, meeting hers, a needy whimper escaping her as fingers calloused by countless hours of riding a broom threaded through the hair at the base of her neck, hot against her skin as she pulled her closer.

Hannah’s eyes flared open as the breath hitched in her throat. “What-?” she gasped, not expecting so strong a reaction to the thought of the tall American girl kissing her. Silence answered her from the other bed. “Wait, that can’t be right.”

“Why not?” An almost weary sigh. “I’ve suspected for a while. I’ve noticed that you’ve been watching girls more and more when we’ve been out in town, and your interest in boys has seemed almost…academic for quite some time.”

Hannah blinked as she lay there in the darkness, feeling as though the entire world had flipped upside down. “But…no, I was always supposed to marry some rich bloke, have a bunch of kids!” she protested. “I’ve _always_ liked boys!”

“And I bet you still do, at least a little. But you definitely also like girls, Han, especially when it comes to Amanda. I’ve seen the way you look at her, luv. You really care about her.”

Hannah understood, then, what Barbara had meant all those months ago. “This is why you warned me, isn’t it?”

A pause. “Yes.”

Hannah felt the tears gather in the corners of her eyes, and it seemed as though her very identity had been shaken straight down to the core. She whimpered softly as the first tear rolled down her cheek. “What am I going to do?” she squeezed out past a tight throat.

The sound of movement from Barbara’s bed, and then bare feet padding across the floor before warm arms enveloped her, and she clung to Barbara for dear life. “I’ve got you, Han.”

Even as she took solace in Barb’s arms, she couldn’t help but notice that they were sisterly, that they didn’t give her the same thrill that Amanda’s brief hugs did. “This changes everything,” she whispered.

She felt Barbara’s head shake against her shoulder. “This changes nothing, Hannah. You are still who you’ve always been, you just understand yourself better is all. The only real change is the change that you and Amanda have been going through.”

Even through her tears, she managed a watery smile. “We really have changed quite a lot, haven’t we?”

A chuckle. “Yeah, and for the better. We’re kinder people now than we were.” Another chuckle. “Could you imagine how you would have reacted if someone had told you that you were going to have your bisexual awakening because of Amanda?”

Hannah laughed softly at that. “I would have said that they were stark raving mad!”

Barbara drew back, though her hands remained on Hannah’s shoulders. “Feeling better?”

“A bit.” She let out a shaky breath. “Oh, Jennifer, what am I supposed to do with Amanda?”

“Well, given how she’s been acting around you, I’d definitely say she’s been interested, and has been so for quite a while.” A thoughtful hum. “I think you two would be a cute couple. Rather Fox and the Falcon, innit?”

At those words, there was a flash of suspicion. “Hang on, you haven’t had a thing to do with any of those rumors, have you?”

“I’ll never tell, dear,” came Barb’s laugh, and she patted Hannah’s cheek before she withdrew, heading back to be. “Sleep well, Han.”

“Mmm,” she grumbled before a thought occurred. “Wait, what about you?”

“What’s that?”

“Do you like girls, as well?”

“Oh, heavens no. Well…I might try it once or twice, but I’m fairly certain that I only like boys.”

“So how did you know that I like girls?”

“Because I’m not blind!” she laughed. “Good night, Hannah.”

“Good night, Barbara.”

It took her a very long time to fall asleep…

xxxXXXxxx

The next day, Hannah felt rather uneasy at the prospect of meeting Amanda face-to-face, especially since she hadn’t quite figured out her feelings. Rather, she now knew that she was very much attracted to Amanda, but she wasn’t quite certain what that truly meant yet. Should she just ask Amanda out? What if Amanda said no? What would it be like to actually date a girl who she saw on a daily basis, who she practically lived with? It wasn’t like a boy who she only saw on occasion, Amanda’s room wasn’t all that far from her own. What did that mean for a relationship? Would they start out like Diana and Akko? For that matter, just what would Amanda be like in a relationship at all?

Too many questions, and so she had skipped breakfast, telling Barbara to tell the others that she was feeling a bit under the weather. She needed to sort some things out before she saw Amanda again. And so she wandered through the halls, lost in thought. She barely even noticed the gaggle of fellow Second Years as she passed by them, and didn’t notice how they turned and looked at her.

The snicker, however, definitely got her attention, and she paused, glancing over her shoulder at them. Oh, the Purple Team, Teresa, Julieta, and Alma. She quirked a brow at the other girls.

“Would you look at that, one of the hangers on,” Julieta said with an ugly smirk, and Hannah turned around to face them with a glower.

“What are you on about?” she growled, her fists clenching.

“Oh, please, like you don’t know! You’ve always been a suck up, Hannah dear, even when it was just Diana. But then, you got a pass for that. _Everyone_ in their right mind sucks up to her. But those weirdos on the Red and Green teams?” She tutted. “Come, you can do better than that!”

“And you could do better to shut your gob! Those are the Nine New Witches you’re talking about, they reawakened magic!”

Teresa butt in. “If that’s the case, why do they even bother to keep you on with them?”

Hannah flinched at that. “What?”

“What, you didn’t notice? Last year you were always getting in the way of their adventures, you never actually _helped_ them. Even with your precious Diana, you were more of a hindrance than a help.”

“You’re wrong,” Hannah snapped, now getting well and truly angry.

“Are we, though? Name one time when you actually helped them last year?”

Hannah scoffed, standing proud. “I can’t, because I was a wretch last year. But like Luna Nova itself, I learned to let go of my damned pride and see people for who they actually are.” She sneered at the three of them. “And all I see before me are three little bugs.”

“And all we see is a pathetic girl who thinks she’s better than she actually is because she keeps better company than herself,” Alma said.

“They are my friends!”

“Are you _really_ their friend, or are they just taking pity on you?”

“She _is_ our friend,” came the voice unexpectedly from behind her, Amanda’s Texan drawl more pronounced as a strong arm wrapped around Hannah’s shoulders, drawing her in to Amanda’s side. “We ain’t taking pity on her. Hannah and Barbara have both grown a lot from last year.” Hannah looked up as Amanda sneered at the other three girls, her green eyes narrowed and glittering. “You should learn from her example.”

It didn’t take very long for the other three girls to make themselves scarce. Amanda glared after them for a moment, her arm still wrapped tightly around Hannah’s shoulder, and Hannah blushed at how she just seemed to fit against Amanda, like this was as natural as breathing. “Um, thank you,” she murmured.

Amanda sucked air between her teeth with a sharp tsk. “Don’t know why girls like that get off on being asses.” Her expression softened as she looked down at Hannah. “You alright? Barb said you weren’t feeling good. I got worried about you.”

Why was her heart pounding like this? Why was she so flustered at the heartfelt concern that Amanda was looking at her with? Why did she want to lean up and-

Clearing her throat, she pulled away slightly, and Amanda hesitated just a moment before letting her go. Hannah stepped away, trembling slightly as the butterflies in her stomach decided to go absolutely mad, and she turned her back to Amanda as she tried to make sense of the chaotic emotions that swirled within her. “Yeah, I’m doing fine. Thanks for the help,” she managed to say, her voice mostly steady.

“Was my pleasure.” A short pause. “Hey, are you sure you’re okay, you’re acting funny.”

Hannah blinked. They were alone in the corridor, weren’t they? She couldn’t ask for a better chance than this, could she? Whirling around and facing Amanda, she felt her newfound bravado dissipate just as quickly as it had arrived. Did she _have_ to be looking at her with such concern in those beautiful green eyes? Swallowing heavily, Hannah looked down and to the side. “Kiss me,” she whispered, the words almost inaudible even to her own ears.

“What was that?” Amanda asked, voice entirely confused. “I didn’t hear you.”

Hannah once more looked Amanda in the face, her own expression almost pleading. “Kiss me!” she blurted out, her face growing a very bright red. “I just…I really want you to kiss me right now, Amanda O’Neill!”

Amanda’s eyes flared open in shock, and she took half a step back before that confident smirk reappeared, and in two strides, she was standing right in front of Hannah, gently tilting her chin up with calloused fingers. “Is this my reward for rescuing the damsel in distress?” she said in a husky voice that very nearly made Hannah’s toes curl. Then, before Hannah could actually answer, she leaned down, pressing her lips against Hannah’s.

A tingle ran from her lips clear to the tips of her fingers and toes, and Hannah sighed as her hands came up to clutch Amanda’s back, pulling herself against Amanda’s body, reveling in the delightful way that it was both firm and soft in all the right ways. Time lost meaning as the kiss went on until finally the need for air overcome the desire to continue, and they broke apart, breathing heavily. Hannah was quite pleased to see that Amanda was blushing just as heavily as she was.

Clearing her throat, she brought her hands around so they were splayed against Amanda’s upper chest, only just now realizing that Amanda’s hands were on her back. Pushing slightly, she stepped back before she ran her hands through her hair, making sure it wasn’t too out of sorts. Feeling slightly more composed, she met Amanda’s heated and amused gaze. “Right. I’m stubborn and prone to being something of a bint when I’m cross. I’ve a sharp tongue, and don’t take kindly to being made fun of.”

Amanda quirked a brow. “Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. I’m sure you are also aware of my other character flaws, chief of which being the fact that I abhor losing.”

Amanda grinned, rubbing her side. “Don’t I know it? You’ve got pretty sharp elbows to be throwing when you’re losing at Mario Party.”

Hannah ignored the comment, swallowing heavily as her nerves surged again. “But for all that, I’m rather fond of you. If you are not opposed…” she glanced up through her eyelashes at Amanda, “would you care to be my girlfriend?”

Amanda stared at her for a moment before she seemed to sag with relief. She stepped forward, gently taking Hannah’s hand in her own. “Come on. No girlfriend of mine is going to miss her breakfast. Most important meal of the day, you know?” That said, she started to lead the two of them towards the canteen, and Hannah stared at their joined hands, her heart warming at the sight.

Smiling, she squeezed Amanda’s hand, and Amanda squeezed back.

Girlfriends, huh? Well, _this_ was going to take some getting used to!


	2. First Time For Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: First Date
> 
> It's the day of Hannah's first date with Amanda, and she's almost panicking about the whole situation. This will be her first date with another girl. What should she do? How should she act? What was the difference between this date and a date with a boy? Barbara tries her best to calm her down, and Diana steps in with her own advice, helping Hannah calm down before there's a knock at the door. Well, here went nothing!

First Time For Everything

It was funny, really. Normally, Hannah would be filled with giddy excitement or eager anticipation in the days and hours leading up to a date, but right now? Now she kind of felt like she wanted to throw up. Which, of course, was absolutely illogical. There was no reason why she should be feeling the way that she did, but that didn’t change the fact that she felt downright anxious, no good reason or not. At first Barb had been amused, but as the day wore on towards evening that Friday in July, she started to grow more and more concerned. Frankly, so was Hannah, but she also had an idea as to what her problem actually was.

This was her first official date with another girl.

The thought would have been completely unthinkable not all that long ago. Why, she and Amanda had only started dating recently, and before that, Hannah hadn’t even really accepted the fact that she was just as attracted to girls as she was to boys, if not more so. Had she been worried? Afraid? She couldn’t say. All she knew was that for the longest time, she shied away from any serious thought about why her eyes were drawn more and more to girls, and to a tall American witch in particular. Of course, the flirting bet hadn’t helped anything, but still! All that didn’t change the fact that Hannah had thought she was straight for the longest time, and her previous dates (rather few in number, actually…she hardly thought that formal dances and events counted) had all been with young gentlemen.

What the hell was she supposed to do on a date with a girl?

What were the differences? There had to be differences, right? Boys were boys and girls were girls. Even with how cocky and arrogant and tomboyish that Amanda could be, she was still absolutely a woman, and a very attractive one at that. In Hannah’s experiences, boys their age tended to think with a very specific part of their anatomy, and for all Amanda’s raunchy teasing, she had been very respectful of Hannah’s personal space thus far, not even approaching any boundaries that Hannah had, much less crossing them. Nothing like her last date with a boy, who kept trying to slyly touch her bum while they were dancing. He was lucky she hadn’t given him a bunch of fives for his cheek. Amanda might tease her, but her hands had not yet strayed anywhere improper. That still left the question: how was she supposed to act on this date?

“Hannah, you are most certainly overthinking this,” came Barbara’s wearied voice as Hannah continued to pace across the floor of their room.

“But what if I’m not?” she groaned. “I just don’t want to do anything wrong, and-”

“Han, luv, listen to me,” Barb cut her off, her tone just shy of snapping. “Amanda agreed to date _you_. Not the fake, dolled up version you roll out for the boys. She knows who you are. She knew that when she started dating you. Just be yourself!”

“But-”

“Hannah, I love you, but if you say another contrary word I swear to all that’s holy that I will hex the ever loving shite out of you!” Barb snapped, and Hannah’s mouth clicked shut as she gave her a rather meek look. Barbara’s thunderous scowl softened before she sighed. “Hannah. Trust me on this one. Wear that cute yellow sundress with your white sandals and the cute earrings and necklace I got you for Christmas, and stop fretting, will you?” Her head tilted thoughtfully to the side. “Hmm…I’d say your toasted almond lipstick. It’s not overpowering and the pink will go well with the dress.” Then she grinned, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Don’t forget an anti-smudging charm!”

Hannah’s face lit up in a fierce blush. “Barbara!”

“What? You know it’s good advice!”

The doorknob rattled, and they both turned to face the door as Diana walked in to the room, and she looked up to Hannah with some surprise. “Oh, you’re still in your school uniform? I thought you were heading out on your date soon.”

Barbara sighed. “Miss fussy-britches here has been freaking out since we got back, I only just managed to calm her down.”

Hannah bit her lip. “Diana, what was your first date with Akko like? I’m worried about doing something wrong.”

“Oh, for the love of-!”

“Barbara, it’s okay,” Diana said with a small smile. “It’s perfectly okay for her to be worried before her date. I know I was.” Her face turned contemplative. “Of course, that was because I hadn’t ever dated anyone and had no idea whatsoever how to act at all.” A sheepish grin. “I actually spent an inordinate amount of time researching what to do.”

Barbara frowned. “I had no idea.” She glanced at Hannah. “You could have asked us, we would have helped.”

The look Diana shot her was amused more than anything. “Would you have? This was last year, you had only just started tolerating Akko at that point. You _certainly_ didn’t think she was good enough to date me.”

Hannah shifted uneasily at that. “What? No!”

Level blue eyes met her gaze. “I heard some of the things you two said when you thought I wasn’t paying attention.”

She winced. “Oh.” This was awkward. Some of what they had said had been very unflattering. Akko might have done the world a favor by saving magic, but this was _Diana_ they were talking about! No one short of someone from a family as prestigious as the Hanbridges would ever measure up to what Diana really deserved. But then they saw how happy Akko made Diana, how well they actually meshed, and in short order it was hard to imagine that there had been once a time when the two of them weren’t in a relationship. Akko belonged with Diana and Diana belonged with Akko. There was no other truth.

It was that more than anything that reassured Hannah. If Diana of all people had been worried about her first date and she was doing as well as she was with Akko, then she had nothing to worry about, did she? She glanced at Barbara, and they both looked at Diana. “Sorry, Diana,” they both said at the same time, words almost perfectly in synch.

“She’s really good for you,” Hannah added.

“You’re good for each other.”

“And _to_ each other.”

Diana smiled at the two of them. “Thank you for your apologies, girls, I really appreciate it.”

Hannah frowned slightly at that. It was all well and good that Diana forgave them, but that didn’t make what they had done right. What was worse, they only apologized because Diana confronted them with their own ugliness. “I wish Akko were here right now,” she said, and the other two looked at her with some surprise.

“Really? Why?” Barbara asked.

“Well, not even just her, but Sucy and Lotte, too, as well as the Green Team. I want to apologize to them. For _everything_. For talking behind their backs. For insulting them to their faces. For thinking that we were better than them just because we come from good families. For just being horrid people to them.” She winced. “It wasn’t right of us, and I don’t want to only apologize when what we did is brought up. That cheapens the apology, and they deserve better than that.”

Diana was smiling at her, Hannah noticed. “And that is why Amanda agreed to date you, I think. Even without your apology, I think she knows that you and Barbara both truly regret how you treated them last year.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Now, quickly! You need to get ready or else you’ll run out of time. You don’t want to keep Amanda waiting on your first date.”

“Oh, right!” The next few minutes were spent changing, a process made slightly longer when Barbara almost gleefully pointed out that Hannah’s underwear did not, in fact, match her bra, to which Hannah replied that this was the first date, she was a proper young lady, and there was a greater chance of her filching Lukić’s underwear than there was of Amanda getting into hers tonight so it bloody well didn’t _matter_ if her undergarments matched, dammit. Despite the delay, it wasn’t long before she was in the cute sundress and applying the lipstick that Barbara had suggested. She was right, it really did look nice.

She was putting her earrings in her lobes when there was a knock at their dorm room door. Her gut roiling with nerves once more, she took a deep breath and strode over to the door, opening it, her entire face lighting up like a Christmas tree at the sight of the taller redhead standing in the hall, one hand behind her back. She was dressed fairly casually, wearing short denim shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs, a dark grey camisole, and a plaid shirt she had left unbuttoned and with its sleeves rolled to just below her elbows. Her normally wild hair was surprisingly tamed, brushed back neatly, the look almost masculine.

“Hey, there, beautiful,” Amanda said as she pulled her hand out from behind her back, revealing a bouquet that was resplendent in vibrant colors.

“Oh, Amanda, those are lovely,” Hannah breathed as she accepted the flowers, a blush touching her cheeks. Roses, of course, but also, let’s see…freesias, gladioli, peonies, tulips, and magenta lilacs. “Come in, come in,” she said as she walked over to her nightstand, pulling out her wand to conjure a vase and water to place them in, even as she recalled the meanings behind Amanda’s choice in flowers. The effort definitely pleased her…just roses would have been nice, but this was certainly above and beyond the minimum! Placing them in the vase, she turned it slightly so that it was at its most pleasing. Humming happily, she stepped back to admire them.

A warm hand on her hip, and then Amanda was pressing against her back as she extended her arm over her shoulder, her own wand in hand. The incantation was low, a murmur next to her ear, and the flowers glowed for a moment before they seemed to blossom even further than they already had. “There, now they’ll last far longer than they would with just water alone.”

Hannah turned around and wrapped her arms around Amanda’s waist, grinning up at her girlfriend’s pleased face. “So, how many meanings of those flowers did you have to look up?” she teased.

Amanda laughed. “Most of them. Never really been interested much in flowers. But what can I say? I was inspired.”

“Oh, my god, you two, get a room!” Barbara groaned. “This much condensed sweetness is going to turn my stomach!”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Barb,” Hannah said as she rolled her eyes. Still, she stepped back, her head tilting inquisitively to the side as she took a closer look at Amanda’s hair. It…almost reminded her of something, but she couldn’t quite place it, the memory just out of her reach. Hmm, strange. Still, as much as she appreciated Amanda’s effort…

Reaching up, she ran her hands through Amanda’s thick red hair, messing it up before setting it in the wild style that Amanda was known for. “There, this suits you better, love,” she said. “Wild and free, yeah?” she murmured as Amanda stared down her with wide green eyes.

“Right, seriously. You two, go on and get, I can’t handle you anymore,” Barbara laughed. “Keep going on like this, and I’ll start to wonder if I’m not actually stuck in one of Lotte’s fanfictions! You are both being entirely too romantic right now.”

Amanda stepped back at that, her cheeks a rosy pink as she coughed into her fist. “Yeah, sure. Sorry, Barb, Diana. Hannah, you ready?”

With an entirely pleased grin, Hannah held out her arm, and Amanda took it, her grasp firm but gentle as they headed out into the hall. “So, what’s the plan, dinner and a movie?”

Amanda shook her head. “Nope. One, too mainstream, too cliché. Y’all deserve better than that. Two, movies are nice, but really would just have us sitting in silence for more than an hour.” A coy glance. “If I’m gonna sit someplace with you for that length of time, it’s going to be somewhere where I can talk with you without getting shushed by strangers, y’know?” A small grin. “I’d rather spend time _with_ you than just with you.” Staring straight ahead as they continued walking to the teleport point, she cleared her throat. “By the way, I wasn’t exaggerating earlier. You’re really beautiful right now. I mean, you’re always beautiful, but now it’s just like… _wow_.”

“Stop, stop, you’re making me blush,” Hannah laughed, and it wasn’t even an exaggeration. Her cheeks were rosy as she leaned her head against Amanda’s firm shoulder. “So, really, what is the plan?”

“Do you want it to be a surprise, or do you want to know?”

“Hmm. Tell me?”

“The arcade, and then dinner.”

Hannah blinked. “The arcade?”

Amanda’s stride faltered, and she glanced down at Hannah with a worried expression. “You don’t like it?”

“Well, no, it’s not that, it’s just…not what I expected. The arcade, right? Not a country fair?”

“Yeah, the arcade.” Some of Amanda’s confidence had obviously faded. “If you don’t like it, we can do something else, it’s just…well, we both like video games, and they’ve got some cool games there that we could play together. Ain’t like the movies where we’re just sitting, we’d actually be really _doing_ stuff together.” She drew in a breath. “I thought it was a good idea, but I guess it wasn’t. Sorry.”

Hannah stopped in her tracks, grabbing both of Amanda’s hands in hers as she stared up into her face, determined. “No. It’s a great idea, and I really want to do it. It sounds positively lovely, and if we don’t do that, I’m going to be very cross with you.”

Amanda gave her a small, timid grin. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She paused, the thought suddenly coming to her. “Amanda…is this the first date you’ve ever been on?”

“Whaaat? No! Of course not! I’ve been on dates before!”

Hannah quirked a brow. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

Amanda held her gaze for a moment before she sighed, seeming to deflate. “I’ve been on other dates before, but none of them were as important as this one, were as important as _you_. I want everything to be perfect.”

Hannah stared at for before she leaned in close, rising up on her tiptoes to press her lips against Amanda’s, not caring that there were others in the hall. Ignoring the entertained gasps and titters around them, she rocked back. “Amanda, the date already is perfect, just by merit of it being with you.” She grinned. “Funnily enough, I was perhaps just as worried as you were. Barbara yelled at me.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah. Because, just like you, this date means so much more than any other date I’ve ever been on.”

Amanda hummed happily, once more taking Hannah’s arm as they continued on once more. “So, what did you want for dinner? I’m good for anything, so long as it isn’t steak. I swear none of the restaurants in town know how to cook it.”

“Burgers?” Hannah asked.

“Yeah, I actually know a good joint for that. Heh. You should _see_ their faces whenever Jas crosses their threshold. Why, I didn’t know anyone could actually turn that pale!”

Hannah laughed at that, feeling totally content with life at the moment. As was fitting and true to her word, the date really was perfect. Not because everything went perfectly. No, the Skeeter’s Ball machine jammed when spewing out almost countless tickets (Amanda, as it turns out, was freakishly good at the game) and it took them quite a long time to get seated at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and there were a number of small things that could have gone better.

But those didn’t matter. They didn’t matter because she was with Amanda, and Amanda well and truly made her happy. Those little blips barely even registered, not when Amanda was right there, flushed with victory from a well-played game. Not when she smiled at Hannah with a dopey grin ‘just because.’ Not when she almost shyly handed Hannah the plush falcon that she won with the tickets she had earned. Not when just being with Amanda made Hannah feel lighter, her heart full of happiness.

Even better? That anti-smudging charm Barbara had teased her about actually turned out coming in very handy at the end of the date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flower meanings:
> 
> Rose - passionate love and romance  
> Freesia - trust, passion, and joy  
> Gladiolus - infatuation, strength, "You pierce my heart."  
> Peony - romance, prosperity, compassion  
> Tulip - a deep love, confidence  
> Magenta Lilacs - tranquility, love, and passion


	3. May I Have This Dance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Dancing
> 
> A story told in two parts of two very different ways that one can dance. The club, with pounding music and bodies pressed tightly together. The ballroom, with couples whirling in an elegant waltz. Despite the differences between the two settings, much enjoyment can be had by those who participate thereof. This is the tale of what Hannah and Amanda experience in both these places, for better...
> 
> ...and for worse.

May I Have This Dance?

The Club

“Amanda, are you sure about this?” Hannah asked for what must have been the hundredth time as they walked through the still crowded streets of downtown Blytonbury that Saturday evening in September. Honestly, she felt like they should be sneaking rather than striding brazenly down the street. After all, they were being truant from school, and should have been back at Luna Nova hours ago. But somehow Amanda had convinced her to do this.

Oh, at the time, it had seemed like fun, blatantly breaking curfew and hanging out in town well past when they should have been. It would be Hannah’s first time being truant as well…being a roommate with Diana meant an almost draconian adherence to school rules and policy, not that Hannah minded. There had never been a reason for her to want to break curfew while at school, much less stay in Blytonbury after they were supposed to return to Luna Nova.

But then, she got into a relationship with a certain red-headed American witch who rather viewed school rules as mere suggestions at best, and things to deliberately bend or even break at worst. Hannah would be lying if she said that there already hadn’t been a late night romantic rendezvous or two, dodging professors and students patrolling the halls so that she could enjoy a few minutes of titillating privacy with Amanda. It was nice being able to hang out with her girlfriend in secluded corners of the school or up in quiet towers, talking with her (or making out, she thought with a blush) without having to worry about someone just stumbling upon them. But this? This was something altogether different, and she honestly kept expecting Professor Finnelan to come swooping down out of the dark evening sky to expel them.

Amanda, for her part, seemed wholly unconcerned, and she shot her an amused grin over her shoulder. “Calm down, Hannah, it’ll be fine, I promise. I still can’t believe you’ve never been to a club.”

Hannah rolled her eyes at that. “It’s unseemly. Besides, if I want to dance, there’s any number of formal balls that I can go to. Plus, I’ve never seen much allure to it…being jammed in a crowded, loud place with a bunch of sweaty strangers hardly seems like a good time.” She shook her head. “Honestly, the only reason I’m doing this is because it’s with you, and because I wanted to make up for the museum fiasco.”

Amanda frowned at her. “Hey, that wasn’t a fiasco, I had fun!”

Hannah gave her a flat stare. “Amanda, you were bored out of your skull. It was a poorly thought out date on my part.” She grinned teasingly. “Plus, I imagine it was rather difficult for you to be in the same building with countless priceless artifacts. How easy would it have been for you to steal some of them?”

Amanda threw her head back and groaned. “Oh my God, you have _no_ idea! Even with the bare minimum use of magic, I’d be able to lift half the things in that museum! Why, that one thing, _The Silver Hound_ was just _begging_ to be stolen, and I bet I could easy get half a million selling it to interested ‘collectors,’” she said as she made air quotes with her fingers. “Not bad for something that probably only weighs five pounds. What’s the going rate for silver right now? Two hundred bucks a pound?”

Hannah laughed, grabbing Amanda’s hand and threading their fingers together. “The fact that you know that off the top of your head…anyway, I very much appreciate that you restrained yourself and didn’t actually steal anything.” At her words, Amanda began to whistle innocently, and Hannah narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. “Amandaaa…” she said warningly.

A brightly amused and crooked grin that had Hannah’s stomach giving a delighted flip. By the Nine, did she have to be so attractively confident? “I tease, I tease! I wouldn’t steal anything without letting you know. We’re partners in crime now, after all. Plus, I’m sure y’all would be interested in getting part of the cut.” She chuckled. “We’ll discuss our nefarious criminal enterprise at another time, we’re almost there.”

Sure enough, the street that they were walking along was increasingly filled with pub goers, some of them obviously white collar workers enjoying a pint with their peers, but most of the crowds seemed to be about their age if not just a bit older, college students enjoying a night out on the town, and Hannah felt a bit conspicuous, given that they both had their brooms over their shoulders. Blytonbury was used to witches being out and about, but that still didn’t mean that they weren’t drawing some curious gazes. Hannah shifted uneasily even as she glanced at the various pubs and bars that lined the busy street, most of them brightly lit and some with music blaring out from open doors. “How much further do we have to go?” Hannah asked.

“Not much further, babe,” Amanda reassured her, lightly squeezing her hand. She was true to her word. Less than five minutes later, they came upon a nondescript building sitting on a street corner, a queue formed at the door. “Alright, here we are! Hang on, we need to change.”

Hannah blinked. “Pardon?” She glanced down at her clothes, a perfectly fine outfit for being out on the town. “What’s wrong with what we’re wearing?”

“Nothing, they just aren’t clubbing clothes.” Amanda produced her wand. “Just a sec. _Metamorphie Vestesse!_ ” With a poof, her clothes changed, and Hannah _stared_ even as Amanda swished her wand again. “ _Metamorphie Faciesse!_ ” Another poof of smoke that quickly dissipated, and before Hannah stood a transformed Amanda that completely captured Hannah’s attention. This…was this legal?

Tight dark pants that hugged Amanda’s strong legs and curves like a second skin over a pair of black ankle-high stiletto boots artistically covered with buckles that raised Amanda’s already impressive height by a good several inches. A dark green halter top with a daringly cut neckline showed off her cut abs, and a fingerless fishnet gloves ended just below her elbows. The other transformation spell styled her hair and gave her a choker and earrings running up and down the shells of her ears, as well as makeup that gave her smoky eyes, luscious lashes, and graced her full lips with a deep metallic jade sheen. Hannah swallowed heavily, a wave of heat rising in her gut. Amanda glanced at her, and then gave her a sultry smile. “Like what you see, sugar?” she asked with a throaty purr. Not trusting herself to speak, Hannah could only nod, her face feeling like it was on fire. “Good. Now, your turn.”

Oh. Oh! “Um, I’m not sure what would be appropriate, ah, _clubbing_ clothes,” she said, her words halting.

“Hmm. Do you want me to do it?”

Still furiously blushing, Hannah nodded. With what could only be described as an eager grin, Amanda lifted her wand once more. Within mere moments, it was done.

Burgundy stiletto pumps, sheer stockings, and what Hannah believed was called a little black dress made of velvet that hugged her curves and had what some might call a ludicrously short skirt. Her shoulders were almost entirely bare, only the spaghetti straps of her dress running over them. Several large silver bracelets adorned her left wrist, and Amanda had left the necklace and earrings she had chosen to wear alone. Her hair was now loose, resting against her shoulders and her upper back in flowing waves. “I only slightly exaggerated your make up,” Amanda said as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket, quickly taking a picture of Hannah before turning the screen around so she could see.

Oh. Oh, she was beautiful. Amanda was obviously going for sultry with her own look, but had apparently decided to take some pity on Hannah. Besides the short length of the skirt and the bareness of her shoulders, Hannah’s look was much subtler, almost gently drawing on her natural looks. Had she been feeling daring, she’d even dare to wear this at a formal event. Slightly scandalous, to be sure, but not so much that wearing it would be a faux-pas. She was sexy and beautiful all at once, and she really appreciated that this was the look that Amanda had chosen for her. “Ready, babe?”

Hannah grinned. “Yes.”

A brief look of concern as Amanda took her arm. “You’ll be able to dance in those heels, right? Stilettos can be rough if you aren’t used to them.”

“So long as we aren’t swing dancing, I should be alright. These are a little higher than I’m used to, but that shouldn’t be an issue,” she replied as they got in the end of the queue.

“Good,” Amanda said before they both used a quick spell to send their brooms up into the air and over the roof where they waited to be recalled, and Hannah took a moment to appreciate just how handy it was for magic to be available everywhere. Changing their appearances, being able to fly everywhere on their brooms…this evening would have been more difficult to do without magic.

The line moved fairly quickly, and soon they were offering their IDs to the bouncer at the door. Amanda’s card gave him pause, given that it was from the US, but after a moment’s careful perusal, he gave them their cards back, and produced a small stamp that he marked the back of Amanda’s hand with before gesturing them through the door. “What was that all about?” Hannah asked as they entered a short corridor that had some benches with club goers resting on them, a deep, rhythmic thumping coming from a set of closer double doors ahead of them.

“The stamp? Oh, that just means I’m over eighteen and can get whatever drink I want from the bar.”

Hannah frowned. “Wait, but you aren’t…”

The look Amanda gave her was amused. “Of course I’m not.” She leaned in closer so that only Hannah could hear her. “It’s called a fake ID, Han.”

“Amanda!” Hannah snapped.

“Oh, calm down, it’s not like I’m actually planning on drinking,” Amanda laughed. “I just take exception to people telling me what to do with my own body. I’m responsible enough to not make a fool out of myself, especially since I turn eighteen in just over six months, anyhow.” She theatrically shuddered. “It’s even worse in the States! Here my card just has to say I’m eighteen, there it has to say over twenty-one.” They reached the door, and Amanda paused for effect. “Well then, my lady, are you ready for your first ever club experience?”

Rolling her eyes at the theatrics, Hannah nodded. With a grin, Amanda threw open the door, revealing a platform like balcony beyond, and they stepped out onto it.

It was loud. Louder than Hannah expected, with a bass that pulsed heavily, thumping through Hannah’s body.

It was dark, with strobe lights, lasers, and colored lights flashing over the surging, bouncing crowd that occupied the large dance floor set in the center of the cavernous room.

It was warm, and Hannah’s skin prickled slightly at the almost muggy heat, her breath hitching in her throat.

All these things and more almost made it hypnotic, and Hannah stared about her as Amanda took her by the hand, leading by the hand down to the rhythmic chaos below. She noticed that there were booths and lounges set around the edges of the room, and an expansive bar set against one wall. But the design of the room was obviously to draw the attention to the dance floor.

So many people, dancing and gyrating and bouncing in ways that Hannah had only ever seen in videos. The dances that she was used to were stately, organized, with very specific steps to be followed. This reminded her of nothing more than anarchy, people moving their bodies in a way that was only restricted by their passion, and she blushed at how suggestive some of those moves were.

They reached the bottom of the steps, and they paused for a moment there, just off to the side. With an excited grin, Amanda wrapped her arms around Hannah’s shoulders in a loose embrace as she leaned in, her breath hot against the shell of Hannah’s ear. “Do you want to dance first, or get a drink?” she all but shouted, and even with that, her words were only just comprehensible against the undeniable call of the loud music.

Licking her lips, Hannah moved her head, brushing her cheek against Amanda’s as she answered. “Dance!” she cried.

“Well, then, may I have this dance?”

Blushing, Hannah nodded. Amanda took her by the hand, holding tight as she gracefully led the two of them through the milling crowd and to the dance floor itself.

What followed…well, Hannah wasn’t entirely certain it was legal. All she knew was that they hit the floor, and Amanda started _dancing_. Her eyes glimmered with a heat that Hannah had never seen in them, and she had a smirk that fairly oozed confidence before she raised both her arms above her head, exposing more of her abdomen as her top shifted up her body. And then she started to _move_ , and Hannah’s mind went blank as she completely forgot that she was supposed to be dancing as well.

Holy Hekate, Amanda was…Hannah wasn’t even certain what Amanda was as she watched, dumbstruck as the taller witch began to twist and gyrate her hips to the beat, the movements sensuous and confident and sultry and almost erotic. Hannah had seen Amanda broom dance before, and that was a sight all on its own, but this? This was something entirely different, and even though they were surrounded by pulsing, sweating, bouncing dancers, a sense of deep privacy swept over Hannah. The crowd might as well have not been there: her attention was solely on her girlfriend.

Amanda continued on for a moment longer before she paused, stepping impossibly close to Hannah, leaning in close again. “You know, this is a lot more fun if you dance, too!” she called out against Hannah’s ear. Calloused hands grasped her wrists and moved them so they rested on Amanda’s shoulders, the skin there almost scorching against Hannah’s palms, and a thrill ran through her. “Dance with me, sugar?”

This time when she started to move again, Hannah joined her, a bit clumsily at first and with a blush so fierce she could feel it on the back of her neck and across her upper chest, but soon she was lost in the beat and the movement, their bodies brushing as they moved to the music. The look that Amanda gave her stole Hannah’s breath away, and the world shrank away until it was just the two of them. The dance went on.

They would leave the club hours later before transforming their clothes back to normal and making the long flight back to Luna Nova, their ears still ringing with the echo of the music and their bodies still flushed from the heat of the room and the dance. It had been a breathtaking experience for Hannah, one that the mere memory of would draw a blush to her cheeks even years later. One thing was for certain: despite her initial hesitation, this night was absolutely worth it!

The Ball

Hannah’s heart pounded with excitement as the limo pulled up to the Hanbridge estate, and she grinned around at all of their friends. No need for Akko or Lotte or even Sucy to crash the party this time, as they had all been cordially invited to the ball that had been arranged by Paul Hanbridge. Rumor was that it was to announce Andrew’s engagement to the daughter of a prominent French politician. From what Andrew had said in his correspondences with Diana, he got along famously with the young lady, and it was a move that was being lauded as a good way to ease the tensions that had grown between Britain and France the last year. If Hannah remembered correctly, Isabelle was distantly related to the Bourbon dynasty, not that she cared so much about such things anymore. She just knew that it would help ease the minds of those critics who would otherwise object to such a fine son of Britain being ‘sold off’ to the French. So far as she was concerned, so long as she was a lovely lady and she and Andrew were happy together, she couldn’t be happier for them.

“Shame that Jasminka and Cons didn’t want to come,” Akko pouted as she tried (and failed) to unobtrusively adjust the bust of her gown. Diana merely sighed and gently swatted Akko’s hands away, prompting Akko to grin sheepishly at her. Her dress was impeccably tailored, she just wasn’t used to wearing a dress with the gown’s cut and style. No cheap, magical gowns were these, Hannah and Barbara had pooled resources so that the Red Team girls could be properly dressed to the nines. At first the three had objected, but she and Barbara had been resolute and adamant. It was the least they could do, and was part of the still ongoing process of them making proper reparations to the girls they had once so cruelly bullied. As such, the three of them looked lovely, even if Sucy’s beauty had an air of black widow danger about it.

Amanda hummed. “This sort of thing really isn’t up their alley. Too many people try to talk to Cons, and Jas feels bad for clearing out all the appetizers over and over and over.” She gave a soft grin. “Besides, I think that they’d rather just have a quiet night together.”

“Good for them,” Hannah murmured as the limo came to a stop before the steps leading to the entrance, her eyes roaming over Amanda’s form once more, something she was loathe to stop doing. And who could blame her?

Amanda had foregone a dress, instead deciding on a tuxedo that had a _very_ feminine cut, accenting rather than hiding her bust. Even with her hair slicked back in a masculine fashion, there was no denying that Amanda was all woman. Hannah’s one regret was that they didn’t have all that many opportunities for Amanda to dress like this, more’s the pity. Eh, it just meant that Hannah simply had to well and truly appreciate the rakish charm of her girlfriend in a tux when she had the chance. Tonight was going to be no exception.

The chauffeur came around and opened the limo’s door, and they slid out of the long, sleek vehicle, taking a moment to adjust themselves (Akko’s hands drifting towards her chest only to stop as Diana’s eyes narrowed warningly) before heading up the stairs towards the stately manor.

The doorman announced their presence, and they made their way down the greeting line (Andrew’s words were genuinely warm…his father’s were noticeably less so…) before they stepped out into the hall beyond.

“Lotte!”

The cry could only be described as overjoyed, and Frank came swooping in, a radiant grin on his face, his eyes not straying for even a moment from his girlfriend. Lotte’s own face lit up. The two greeted each other, their adoration for each other clear to see, and Hannah shot a glare at Sucy when she rolled her visible eye with a dryly muttered ‘gross.’ Of course, she was like that for all of them, so Hannah couldn’t get too annoyed with her. But still, why Lotte and Frank? The two of them were absolutely adorable with each other, and just looking at them could make even the largest sourpuss (barring Sucy as she was clearly a special case) smile. Hannah didn’t want to put words in their mouths (or their relationship, as the case may be) but the love that they had for each other was the stuff that stories were made of.

Amanda laughed. “Alright, you lovebirds, don’t forget about the rest of us!” At her words, Frank and Lotte finally broke their dreamy gaze with each other, grinning sheepishly before they all gave their proper hellos and how are yous. After they spent a moment to catch up with each other, they split up into groups to socialize, and Hannah grinned as Barbara practically waltzed off towards a group of young gentleman, reminding her of nothing so much as a wolf that had spotted a pack of sheep.

Amanda had noticed as well. “Golly, she’s thirsty, isn’t she?”

Hannah laughed as the two of them made their way to the hors d’oeuvres table. “She doesn’t get the chance to flirt very often, so she’s going to make the best of it. Almost have to feel sorry for the boys.”

Amanda hummed thoughtfully as she snagged two flutes of champagne off of a passing servant’s tray. “You used to be right in there with her, right?” she asked as she held one of them out to Hannah.

Hannah accepted it, even as she grimaced slightly. “Yes. We were each other’s wingwomen, as it were.” She took a sip. “In hindsight, we could come on quite strong at times.” She glanced towards where Barbara was politely laughing at something one of the boys had said. “You almost have to feel sorry for them.”

“Ah.” Amanda took her own sip, briefly pulling the flute away to give it an impressed grimace. “Mm, not bad. Anyway, do you want to join her?”

Hannah jerked slightly at the words, only just managing to not spill her drink all over her dark red evening gown. “Pardon?” she asked, certain that she must have misheard Amanda.

“Barbara. Do you want to flirt with those boys with her?”

Hannah narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Is this a trick question?”

“No, why would it be?” Amanda asked. “One, I trust you, and two, being a wingwoman is _very_ serious business. Plus, it’s something that just you and Barbara used to do together. You two haven’t had much chance to do something that was just the two of you recently, right?”

Hannah stared at Amanda for a long moment. “I still can’t help but feel like this is a trick question,” she finally settled on saying, her tone dry.

Amanda laughed. “Seriously, it’s okay! Go, have fun with Barbara, see if you can’t help her hook one of them!”

Hannah hummed thoughtfully. “If you insist…”

“I do. I’ll just chill out over here, eating some snacks.” Her mouth quirked to the side. “Pity y’all don’t have pigs in blankets here.”

“Don’t have _what?_ Ugh, no, never mind, I’m not certain I want to know. I’ve heard horror stories about what you eat across the pond. Have fun, don’t be afraid to schmooze.”

“Oh, I schmooze with the best of them, babe.”

Shaking her head, Hannah went over to where Barb was socializing with the group of boys, and she gave her a surprised yet pleased grin as Hannah slid into the conversation. After brief introductions (they were the sons of various CEOs, aristocrats, and other “who’s who” of British and European society) she went at it with gusto, flirting and blushing and smoothly diverting attention from her to Barbara. And while it was fun, she found her attention frequently wandering to find wherever Amanda was. Her heart was in being a help and hanging out with Barb, not in the flirting itself. Plus, while these young men were well mannered, she still didn’t fail to notice how some of their gazes would roam up and down her body, lingering in some places. Funny how last year she would have been pleased as punch at that, but now it just…it made her feel slightly dirty. None of these boys were Amanda.

And then one of them sidled up to her, placing his hand on her upper back, palm resting against her shoulder blade. She couldn’t remember exactly what he said, but it was definitely flirtatious in a way that pushed some boundaries. She force a laughed, opening up her fan as she asked him to remove his hand, her words polite but brooking no argument. Barbara was looking at her with slightly worried eyes.

“Let’s not be hasty,” he said with a charming smile, probably thinking that he was the next Don Juan. “There’s no need to be shy.”

“Am I interrupting?”

A ripple amongst the group at Amanda’s abrupt appearance, and while there was a smile on her face, her eyes held a certain amount of steel as she stared at the boy touching Hannah. A pause, and then his hand left Hannah’s back. “No,” he said slowly. “You aren’t. Have we met?”

“I don’t believe we have,” Amanda said with a wide, toothy grin as she extended her hand, and while her voice still held an accent, it was somehow smoother than her usual drawl. “Amanda O’Neill.”

The boy took her hand, and they shook briefly. “Thomas Clareborne.” He tilted his hand. “My apologies, but your accent, I can’t quite place it.”

“Texas,” Amanda said before she made her introduction to the other young gentlemen.

Once she was done, Thomas nodded. “Ah, a Yank.”

Amanda snorted. “Hardly. Despite sharing a country with States north of the Mason-Dixon line, I am not a Yankee. I’m a Texan.”

“Oh?”

“Oh, indeed. I imagine it would be very similar to calling a Scotsman an Englishman or vice-versa. There are some social niceties that _must_ be observed. Keeps things polite. Consent is such a big one, isn’t it?” An easy grin to all those assembled. “You all know that I’d rather not be called a Yank or Yankee. For any of you-” and her gaze locked with Thomas’s brown eyes, “-to ignore my wish and continue to call me that would be the height of rudeness wouldn’t it?”

“Mm, quite. Speaking of social niceties, I believe that women were supposed to dress in gowns?” His eyes swept up and down Amanda’s body. “Not that your tuxedo isn’t extremely flattering, mind.” His head tilted. “Norton & Sons?”

“Henry Poole & Company, actually.”

He nodded, impressed. “That’s a very good tailor. I’m surprised you could get service there. They have a very particular clientele.”

Hannah’s eyes narrowed at the subtle insult, though Amanda’s face never changed. “They were very accommodating. Some of that British politeness, I’d wager.”

“Indeed.” He paused. “So, how is it that you came to this party? Last I knew, we weren’t allowing the general public in, some exceptions to the contrary, of course.” At those words, he shot a speaking look towards where Akko and chatting animatedly with Diana, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement. Hannah and Barbara both bristled at that, but froze when Amanda threw her head back and laughed, the loud noise drawing the attention of some of the groups around them. “I’m…sorry, did I say something funny?” he asked.

“Oh, of course you did. You obviously don’t know who I am.”

Hannah opened her mouth, about to warn her that the young man would likely not care that she was one of the Nine New Witches and might even hold that against her, but Amanda glanced at her and held up a hand.

“I’m Amanda O’Neill. My family is the second wealthiest family in all of Texas, worth just under fifteen billion dollars. You’re who, Clareborne Tech?” She tilted her head. “That entire company had a net worth of less than ten million dollars last fiscal quarter, right?” She leaned in close, eyes hard as diamond. “My family could buy out your company five hundred times over and we wouldn’t have to change a damn thing about our daily living. And that, little boy, is why I come in here wearing whatever I damn well please, and why even if I wasn’t on your precious little list, Minister Hanbridge wouldn’t dare turn me away. In fact, if I went to him right now, I’m fairly certain that even though I’m a Texan and a witch, he’d have you escorted from the premises if I asked him to.”

“But-!”

Amanda ruthlessly cut him off. “But my family sells Britain beef. My family sells Britain oil. My family sells Britain enough things that he’d very much rather not run the risk of losing our business. Of course, Britain would be able to find other vendors to fill in the void, but that would take time, time that would negatively impact British markets. There’s a great many things I could ask of Minister Hanbridge that he’d at least give serious consideration to in order to not risk that business relationship.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “So, are you going to apologize for your dig against my friends, or are you going to stand there with an expression that makes you look constipated?”

Thomas stared at her for a long moment, his face red, and Hannah took the chance to glance at the other gentlemen in the group. Most of them looked more amused than angry. Finally he sucked in a hissing breath. “My apologies for my comments, Miss O’Neill. They were poorly spoken.”

Amanda’s face brightened. “Excellent! We’re friends again! I was so concerned that I’d have to take true offense to your careless words.”

A chime, signaling that it was time for the ball to begin, and the occupants of the hall began to head towards the ballroom. Thomas stood taller, straightening the lapels of his tuxedo as he turned towards Hannah. “My lady, if you would do me the honor of-”

“Stop.” Amanda’s voice lost the joviality that it had had just a moment ago. “She’s a gentle lady, so she wouldn’t be rude and say no, but trust me when I say, you’re just embarrassing yourself now.” She met his angry glare. “The witches you just insulted? They’re her friends as well. I can safely speak for her when I say she has no interest in you, boy. If you want to have words after this, I'll be more than happy to oblige. I'd advise asking how Andrew's classmate Louis did against me first, though. Besides, if you are going to ask a lady to dance, do it _right_.” She smirked at him before turning to face Hannah, fluidly bowing before holding out her hand, the picture of sophistication and grace. “Miss England, would you do me the greatest honor of sharing this first dance and all those beyond it with me?”

Hannah curtsied. “It would be my greatest pleasure, Miss O’Neill. Charmed and delighted, of course.”

“Of course.”

Arm-in-arm, the two of them made their way off, listening as Barbara accepted the offer to dance from one of the more charming young gentlemen, leaving the bloke Thomas to stand there, fuming. At least Hannah had the good grace to wait until they were well out of earshot before she snorted. “What an absolute prat!”

Amanda chuckled. “That’s a bad thing, right?”

“Most certainly, and thanks so very much for that rescue. He’s a twit.” They stepped into the ballroom where the string quartet was already playing, and now it was Hannah leading to the dance, rather than the other way around, like it had been when Amanda took them to the club last month. “I’m surprised by how much you knew about him, though. How did you know his company’s net worth?”

The question brought forth a grimace. “My grandmother. She forced me to learn about the wealthier families in Britain just in case I could be used to maybe set up a deal.” She rolled her eyes, a dark discontent within them. “It was just a matter of luck that he’s from a family that’s on the list.”

Hannah looked at her, not missing how Amanda almost looked like she was in pain. Time to change the subject. “Right, so, we’ll have it so it looks like you’re leading me, but I’ll teach you the steps. You’ve got plenty of grace so you should learn quickly enough.”

Amanda blinked in surprise before she grinned, amused. “Sure,” she agreed easily, and Hannah guided her hand so it rest on her hip, placing her own hand on Amanda’s shoulder, their other hands joined together.

“This one is a fairly simple waltz, so follow my lead.” A bit awkward to try and guide Amanda by her shoulder, but doable, and soon they were smoothly dancing with all the others, the orderly steps a complete opposite of the wild dancing of the club. Orderly and, dare she say, tame and boring in comparison. She huffed.

“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked with a quirked brow as she spun Hannah under their raised hands.

“Nothing, you’ve just ruined me,” Hannah muttered. “This isn’t as…ah, _invigorating_ as the club.”

Amanda’s grin was teasing. “That’s not the word I’d use.”

“Shut it.” They returned to silence for the next few moments, and Hannah frowned as she noticed something. Amanda was dancing well. Amanda was dancing _really_ well. It was almost as though…

Hannah sighed. “You already know how to waltz, don’t you.” A statement, not a question.

Amanda chuckled. “What gave it away? Should I have stepped on your toes?”

“I appreciated that you didn’t,” Hannah said drily. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were obviously enjoying teaching me. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Hannah stared at her for a moment, her cheeks turning pink before she looked away, pouting. “Why do you have to keep saying sweet things like that?”

“Because you’re my girlfriend, duh. So, now that the secret’s out, may I have the lead, Miss England?”

Hannah sighed. “Of course, Miss O’Neill.”

Amanda laughed in delight. “Well, then! Hang on!”

And away they went. Hannah would share a few dances with the others, mainly Frank and Andrew and one _very_ spirited and surprising dance with Akko (who was clumsier than Amanda) but her one partner, by and large, was Amanda, and they were, without a doubt, the talk of the ball.

If only they had known about the video that the snubbed and seething Thomas Clareborne took on his phone, one that very clearly showed the deep affection they shared for each other as they stared into each other’s eyes.

Much trouble would come from that video.


	4. In Each Other's Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Comfort
> 
> Amanda is absent all morning. A year ago, Hannah wouldn't have even noticed, and if she had, it probably would have been accompanied by a sense of relief: less chance of a distraction or a prank. But it isn't a year ago, it's now, and Amanda hasn't been tardy like this in months. Hannah takes it upon herself to find out where Amanda is and support her as best she can. After all, that's what girlfriends do!

In Each Other’s Arms

Amanda had been absent all morning.

A year ago, this wouldn’t have even registered as an issue to Hannah. Amanda was notorious for only giving her class schedule the bare minimum of attention. Honestly, it was amazing that she didn’t actually get kicked out of school. Hannah suspected that if Luna Nova wasn’t so hard up on money, they really would have kicked Amanda out for truancy. But, as always, money talked: Amanda came from a wealthy family that almost certainly paid handsomely for their rebellious daughter to attend Luna Nova, even if she wasn’t keen on being there.

That had changed. The first change had been something about Akko sneaking to Appleton Academy with Amanda and something about a grail and a swordfight, rumors that Hannah hadn’t had the chance to confirm yet. But after that, Amanda had begun to at least put a little more effort into her grades and attendance, climbing from borderline failure to barely passing. It wasn’t until the whole flirting thing that Amanda really started to try, and Hannah would be lying through her teeth if she said that she wasn’t inordinately proud of the role she had played in actually getting the wild witch drastically improving her grades. It certainly helped that after they started dating, study sessions generally turned into make out sessions, provided that Amanda paid attention and didn’t goof off when they were actually focusing on their classwork. Amanda also barely missed any classes anymore, unless there was a good reason for it.

So for her to not show hide nor hair the entire morning was highly unusual.

Hannah knew that Diana was concerned, though that might only be because the situation was uncannily similar to when Akko had gone missing last year: it was currently snowing, a white blanket covering the ground. The only reason Hannah hadn’t demanded that they go and look for Amanda was because Jas and Cons had given each other knowing looks and reassured her that wherever Amanda was, she was safe. That had only just barely put Hannah at ease, and that was at breakfast. As the day wore on towards lunch and Amanda still didn’t appear, Hannah grew more and more worried and antsy, to the point that focusing on class was impossible.

Where did Amanda go? Why wasn’t she answering Hannah’s texts? Was something wrong? Why didn’t she want to go to Hannah about it? Was it something that Hannah had done, had she accidentally offended Amanda somehow? If it was about the winter holidays just around the corner, Hannah was just as disappointed that they very likely wouldn’t be able to spend any of their time off together, as Amanda was going back to Texas and Hannah knew for a fact that her family wouldn’t support her flying to the US alone for any reason whatsoever, much less visit her girlfriend. She was just glad that they were more accepting of non-hetero romantic relationships, the benefit of coming from a witching family. Granted, she hadn’t actually _told_ them that she was dating Amanda yet.

Was that why Amanda was upset? But that didn’t quite make sense, she knew full well that Hannah wanted to properly introduce her to her parents, it was just that such an opportunity hadn’t presented itself yet. Amanda also knew that if Hannah’s parents asked if she was dating someone, she wouldn’t lie, she just felt that one: who she dated was her own business, and two: she didn’t want to tell them about their relationship over the telephone or through a letter. Amanda knew all that, and had even agreed with her. Amanda had already told her family, something about a letter home with a picture of her flipping off the camera with the words ‘eat it’ scrawled messily under it. Amanda didn’t give a good goddamn what her family thought about who she was dating, and given that she had her own trust fund (and some honestly suspect sources of income) they couldn’t even use money to try and bully her into submission. Amanda O’Neill was a free spirit, and she’d be damned before she’d let her family dictate what she did.

So it couldn’t be any of that, right?

By the time lunch rolled around without any news of Amanda, Hannah had had enough. Ignoring the lunch line, she marched over to the tables that her friends had claimed, noticing the various levels of worry clear on all of their faces, particularly Jasminka and Constanze. Steeling herself, she planted her feet and fairly glared down at Amanda’s team members.

“Where is she?”

The two of them glanced at each other, and Hannah was aware that the others were looking at her, but she didn’t care. Amanda was out there somewhere, and Hannah wouldn’t rest until she knew where she was and what she could do to help her. As such, the clear to see apprehension on their faces only served to raise Hannah’s ire higher than it already was. “Well…” Jas started, and Hannah stamped her foot.

“No, no hedging!” she snarled, flashing one of her pronounced canines at the two of them. “Is it anything that I did to her?”

“No, of course not!” Akko blurted out, and Hannah turned to glare at her even as her heart broke a little at that. Akko knew what was going on, but Hannah didn’t? Was Akko trusted more than she was?

“Then what the bloody hell is going on?!”

Lotte pushed her peas around her tray, a worried look on her face. “She doesn’t want anyone to see her like this, is all.”

Okay, that hanged it. “Where. Is. She.” She took in a deep breath. “I am her girlfriend, I cannot abide her being alone if she is going through something. If I cannot give her solace and comfort when she’s at her worst, then I damn well don’t deserve her at her best!”

They were all staring at her now, all of them except Barbara, and never had Hannah been so aware of the gulf that separated them than at this moment. These were the Nine New Witches. They had survived life and death situations, had overcome insurmountable obstacles to achieve greatness, and had a shared bond that an outsider could scarcely even comprehend.

She was just the girlfriend.

But then Constanze sighed, and Stanbot looked her for a second before he turned towards Jasminka. “Tell her,” he said in his small, tinny voice.

Jasminka’s sad brown eyes locked with Hannah’s hazel. “You have to promise that if she tells you to leave her alone, you’ll do so. If she doesn’t want your help right now, you have to respect that. I swear that she’ll come around eventually, but if she wants to be alone right now, you _have_ to honor that.”

Hannah didn’t like that, didn’t like it one bit, but if that’s the price she had to pay…

She nodded. “I promise.”

“The north tower. There’s an abandoned room near the top that no one uses anymore, and hardly anyone ever goes to. When she wants to get away from everyone, she goes there.” Hannah turned to go. “Wait, she’s going to be hungry.” Jasminka dug through her satchel for a moment. “Here.” She held out a box of cereal bars, two bottles of water, and a bag of potato chips. “Happy flavor,” she said with the grin of someone telling an inside joke, and some of the others chuckled.

Hannah took them with a nod. “Thank you, truly.” Then she was hurrying off, food held in her arms as she only just avoided the temptation to run through the halls. Never before had Luna Nova seemed so large, and the distance and time needed to traverse it ate at her, dragging at her feet even as worry continued to rise in her. What had happened to Amanda that prompted her to hide away like this?

For a wild second, her imagination ran away from her, and she wondered if Amanda was secretly a werewolf. That was a quickly dismissed thought. It wasn’t even the full moon. Wouldn’t _that_ be wild if it was true!

A small eternity of a few minutes later, she was climbing the stone steps of the north tower, and it was about halfway up the tower that she caught the first faint strains of music over the sound of her heavy breaths. With each step she took, the music grew slightly louder until she could clearly hear it, and she recognized it from an energetically paced ballet which just…it confused her. Ballet? Why ballet?

Then she finally reached the landing that the room that the music was coming from, and she slowly and carefully opened the wooden door, surprised that the iron hinges didn’t creak as the portal swung silently open. She looked into the room that had some boxes and pieces of furniture covered with canvas tarpaulins moved to the edges of the room, and she understood it all as she caught sight of Amanda.

She was dancing. Dancing in a way that Hannah had never seen before, broom in her hands as she moved gracefully through what could only be described as an odd mixture of broom dancing and ballet, the moves graceful and sinuous and powerful and captivating…and not just for Hannah.

Amanda swung around on the broom, her feet touching the floor just for a moment before she leapt, the picture of beauty and grace that was tempered with how her eyes were squeezed shut, and her face was twisted with what was a look of profound anguish, tear tracks clearly visible on her cheeks. She was wearing what Hannah knew to be her sleep wear, a pair of nylon short shorts and a white t-shirt that looked to be drenched with sweat, Amanda’s grey sports bra clearly visible through the damp fabric. Normally Hannah would enjoy the view, but now it just sent a spike of worry through her: how long had Amanda been doing this? Had she been dancing all morning?

The music came to a stop, and Amanda stopped moving, shoulders and chest heaving as she greedily sucked at the air, trying to catch her breath, and her limbs were covered in a sheen of sweat, droplets running down her long legs and dripping off the tips of her fingers to hit the wooden floor of this room.

Then tortured green eyes opened, red and swollen from the tears that must have come before, and they lifted, Amanda freezing in shock as she met Hannah’s hazel gaze. A pregnant silence seized the room, the only noise to break it was Amanda’s deep breaths. And then, finally, Amanda spoke. “H-Hannah?” she gasped out. “What are you doing he-?”

The food and water spilled out of Hannah’s arms, landing forgotten on the floor as she surged forward, seizing Amanda in a fervent embrace. She didn’t hesitate to lay her head against Amanda’s upper chest, the damp fabric of the t-shirt pressing against her cheek as she listened to the wild beating of Amanda’s heart in her chest, at how her breath rasped in and out. Hannah wouldn’t be able to say what prompted her to say it, but as she nuzzled her cheek against Amanda, she whispered, “May I have this dance?”

A pause, and then Amanda’s chest hitched against the side of her face as an ugly sob clawed its way out of Amanda’s throat. The broom clattered on to the floor as strong arms wrapped desperately around Hannah’s shoulders like she was a lifeline that Amanda had been desperately seeking and had only just now found. They both sank to the floor, Hannah murmuring comforting words under her breath as Amanda broke down and sobbed.

Time ceased to have any meaning, and Hannah made no mention of how Amanda’s sweat began to soak through her uniform, at the damp patch from her tears that steadily grew against her shoulder. All she cared about was that Amanda needed her in this long, eternal moment, and nothing could drag her away from her girlfriend. Not Finnelan, not Holbrooke, not Diana, nor even the Devil himself…Amanda needed her, and that was all that was important.

But all things must come to an end, and after an untold amount of time later, Amanda’s tears slowed, and then finally stopped. They still remained embraced for some time after that until Amanda sighed and drew back, her eyes even more red and swollen that they had been before, and Hannah wordlessly produced her handkerchief, staying silent as Amanda wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks and blew her nose, looking chagrined as she did so.

“I…uh, I got snot on your uniform, sorry,” she muttered, her voice throaty with emotion, and Hannah shrugged.

“S’not a big deal. It can be cleaned.” She peered up into Amanda’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

Amanda drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “I will be.” She looked away, expression still terribly troubled. “I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on. I-”

Hannah placed her finger against Amanda’s lips. “You’re right. I am curious about what all this is about, but I don’t _need_ to know.” Amanda shot her a confused look. “Unless telling me will help you feel better in this instance, I don’t need to know, nor do I want you to tell me. You can let me know when you’re ready. For now, I’m happy just to be here for you.” She frowned slightly. “We _will_ have words about how you apparently don’t think you can share your pain with me, though. I’ve been worried all morning and wish to the Nine that I could have been here sooner for you!”

Amanda winced. “Sorry. I’m…not used to people really caring about all parts of me, especially not the bad stuff.”

Hannah leaned in, pressing her lips against Amanda’s. For a moment, her girlfriend’s lips didn’t respond, lying still under her kiss, but then she sighed and pressed back. The kiss went on for quite some time before Hannah drew back, meeting Amanda’s gaze with a stern glare. “Amanda, I am your girlfriend. I am not here as a fair-weather tart, I am here to comfort and support you through thick and thin, through good and bad. I warned you, didn’t I? I’m stubborn, you can’t chase me away with some waterworks.”

Amanda huffed a small laugh, tilting her head and shifting so that their lips were only just barely brushing. “You’re right, you did warn me,” she murmured against Hannah’s lips before they were kissing again, and Hannah moaned slightly as Amanda continued to press against her, lowering the both of them to the floor, the wood firm against her back and Amanda’s body hot as it pressed against her front. Once more, time lost meaning, and Hannah had no idea where it would have stopped if it wasn’t for the sound of a stomach growling loudly. They froze, mouths still joined when another growl rumbled through the room, and Amanda pulled back with a sigh and a flushed face. “Sorry, I guess I’m hungry.”

Hannah reached up and pat her cheek, ignoring how her heart was pounding in her chest and how she was ninety percent certain that standing would be a mistake…her legs felt like jello! “It’s alright, love.” She licked her lips, swallowing as she tried to get her breathing under control. “Jas gave me some food for you. Well, for _us_ , I suppose. I skipped lunch to come and find you.”

“Aw, for little ol’ me?” Amanda chuckled as she got up off of Hannah, who had to fight the urge to whimper at the sudden loss of Amanda’s body heat and weight. She sat up, running shaky hands through her slightly messed up auburn hair. Well. _That_ was an adventure!

Amanda crawled over to the food and water where it lay on the floor, and soon the two of them were eating, taking comfort in each other as they sated their hunger. They would leave the room in the tower after they finished the food, and no words needed to be said for both of them to know that they weren’t going to be going to class for the rest of the day. No, they headed to Amanda’s room where they would spend the rest of the afternoon watching videos and playing games until it was time for dinner, taking solace from being together. It would be a long time before Amanda found the strength to talk about what had prompted her to try and dance her anguish away. Hannah would be there for her then, too.

Time passed, and soon it was the final day of school before the winter holidays, and it seemed as though every waking moment not spent sitting in a classroom chair was spent giving increasingly tearful farewells. Akko was particularly emotional, but then the girl wore her heart on her sleeve, so that was to be expected. Hannah wouldn’t have minded it so much if it wasn’t for the fact that Akko’s near incessant harping about how she was going to miss Diana and it was so sad that they wouldn’t be able to see each other over the break served only to remind Hannah how she wasn’t going to see Amanda over the break, either.

Hannah would apologize for it later, but she finally snapped shortly after lunch, telling (yelling) at Akko to shut her gob because she was tired of listening to her whinging. That, of course, prompted Diana to become cross with her, and soon they were all bickering when Hannah had had enough and excused herself. She had started it and knew that taking some time would help soothe tempers. She just wasn’t looking forward to not seeing Amanda for several weeks. She was used to seeing her girlfriend every day and being able to hug and kiss her whenever it struck her fancy. Being apart from her was going to be difficult. At least Amanda’s flight was in the morning, so they would have one more night with each other before Hannah saw her off before she made her own way home to northern England.

It was a complete surprise when Professor Finnelan rounded the corner of the hallway ahead of her, the older woman’s face slightly troubled, brightening slightly as she caught sight of Hannah. “Ah, Miss England! There you are. You’re wanted in the Headmistress’s Officer. Please follow me.”

Hannah blinked, confused. Headmistress Holbrooke wanted her? What for? “Yes, Professor,” she replied before falling in step next to Professor Finnelan. “May I ask what for?”

“You’ve some visitors,” Professor Finnelan answered, her voice stiff and troubled, but not particularly angry, which only served to deepen Hannah’s confusion. If Hannah had done anything wrong, Professor Finnelan would not be shy of letting her know that. The Professor’s penchant for angry diatribes was well known. So for her to be troubled but not angry…it was unusual.

Before long, Professor Finnelan was knocking on the Headmistress’s door, opening it at the curt order to come in from within, gesturing Hannah into the room. Hannah did so, only to freeze in shock.

“Mom? Dad?” she asked, completely surprised to see her parents at Luna Nova at all, much less seated in Headmistress Holbrooke’s office, their faces grave. “What are you two doing here?”

Her father frowned. “Some things have come to our attention, things that need to be addressed.”

What? She shook her head, confused. “What things? My grades are excellent, I’ve missed barely any classes, I’m involved in a tutoring program for First Years, especially those from mundane families…I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

Her father pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a moment before he turned the screen so that she could see it, and he pressed the screen, starting the video he had loaded. Familiar waltz music wafted through the air, and Hannah watched as she and Amanda danced with each other. Her father let it play for a moment before he paused the video, looking at her expectantly. “Okay. That was at Minister Hanbridge’s party a few months back. The one announcing Andrew’s engagement to Isabelle Capet. I was surprised you weren’t there, actually.” She frowned slightly. “I’m dancing with another student, I don’t see the issue.”

Her father glowered. “Not just dancing with her. Your professors told us that you are dating her.”

Now she was frowning, temper growing quickly. “Yes. I am. I _still_ don’t see the issue. Last time I checked, Emma is dating another witch. What’s the problem with me doing the same?”

“Your sister is dating well within her station,” her mother said, her voice gentle, but for all that gentleness, Hannah still stared at her, aghast.

“Are you bloody serious?!”

“Language, young lady!” her father growled.

“What do you mean, _language?_ ” she snapped. “What, I’m not allowed to speak strongly when you’re suggesting that Amanda is out of our station? The hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“That is enough, Hannah!”

“No, it’s not enough! This is Amanda O’Neill! She’s one of the Nine New Witches, and her family has more money than God, how is she out of station?”

“Her family amassed their wealth by taking advantage of everyone they could get away with! There’s also very strong evidence that they are involved in criminal enterprises, to include theft, extortion, blackmail, and worse. I do not want our family involved with _any_ O’Neill, much less that delinquent brat!”

Hannah saw red, even as her mother laid a hand on her father’s shoulder. “Dear, that’s going too far,” she protested, worried eyes glancing at Hannah. She knew full well just who Hannah got her temper from.

“Is it, Sophia?” Narrowed hazel eyes fell upon Hannah. “So the reports of her delinquency and truancy are rumor? So she didn’t have terrible grades before? So she’s not a known thief with a list of charges and convictions as long as my arm?”

Hannah stared at him, seething. But…he was right. She couldn’t offer any argument against what was true. She had even teased Amanda about robbing the museum, hadn’t she?

Holbrooke cleared her throat, looking supremely uncomfortable to be in the room with them. “Mister England, I would like to point out that your daughter has had an overwhelmingly positive influence on the young Miss O'Neill. Her grades are much improved and her attendance and participation in class has never been higher. Perhaps you might reconsider, sir?”

Hannah looked at her for a moment before turning her gaze on her father, who was glaring challengingly at her. “Reconsider what?”

“It’s not being reconsidered. You are to end your relationship with Amanda O’Neill. You are coming home with us immediately.”

It felt like the floor was swept out from under her feet as she stared at her father in horror. “What?” she whispered in a stricken voice.

He stood up from his chair, and after a moment’s hesitation, her mother followed his lead and the two of them walked to the door. “You are to stop dating Amanda O’Neill immediately. Regardless of how you might feel for her, she’s not a good match for you or for our family.” He paused at the door, sighing as his face softened. “Hannah, dear, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, and I understand that better than you might think. I was young once, too. This may seem like the worst thing in the world right now, but it really is in your best interest.” He grinned, the expression entirely without humor. “I encourage you to make me out to be the bad guy in this, because that’s what I’m doing.”

Hannah stared at him, her feet rooted to the floor. “But…Papa, you can’t…how could you…?”

He frowned at those words. “I can, Hannah, and I will. And you’ll hate me for a while.” He grimaced. “I only hope that you’ll never have to experience this as a parent. I do not enjoy doing this, Hannah. But given what I know about this Amanda O’Neill and what I know about her family…this is a hard decision, but a good one. Had you gotten into a relationship with Barbara or with Avery, I’d support you every step of the way. But that girl is not good for you or for this family.”

She did not move.

Her father sighed once more. “I love how strong-willed you are and am terribly proud of you, Hannah, but you’re still seventeen and under my household. If you still feel the same way towards Miss O’Neill when you turn eighteen, you are free to do as you wish, but just know that your decisions _will_ have consequences. Now come, we’re going home. We’ve already had your things packed.”

She swallowed past a mouth that felt like it was stuffed with cotton. “May I…may I at least say goodbye?”

He hesitated before he nodded. “I suppose I owe you that much. Yes.”

The next moments passed by in a numb blur. This…she hadn’t expected this. How could this be happening to her, to _them?_ Yes, they had had their fights and their moments of friction, but that was to be expected, they were both so stubborn. But she had been so happy with Amanda, she had felt accepted and supported. No problem felt insurmountable when they were in each other’s arms.

“Hannah? What’s wrong?”

She blinked, listlessly lifting her head to look at Amanda, who was looking at her with naked worry in her eyes. When had her feet brought her before her girlfriend? “I…” she started in a dry rasp. “That is…” How could she say it? How could she see the look on Amanda’s face when she realized they were done? She wasn’t strong enough for this. “My father says…we can’t be together,” she said, the words tasting like vomit in her mouth, and Amanda’s face immediately crumpled.

Why was it so hard to breathe? She wanted to disappear, she wanted this to be a terrible nightmare. She wanted to go back in time and stop the video from finding her father’s phone. But it didn’t matter what she wanted, because tragic reality was staring her square in the face in the form of Amanda’s betrayed expression. “Okay.”

Okay. Okay. Okay. How could Amanda say this was okay? This wasn’t okay. This was the exact opposite of okay. She wanted to see Amanda rage and shout and fight for her. But she just stood there, her face freakishly blank as their friends looked on, silence gripping them all as her father took her by the elbow and led her to the waiting car that would take her away far to the north of England.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this was actually supposed to be the third part to Day 3: Dancing and Comfort was supposed to be a little different. But given the length that Dancing was already at, I decided to cut it off with just the club and the ball. Thankfully the idea I had for Comfort can fairly easily be pushed to Sleepy, just needs a little tweaking.
> 
> And yes, I know exactly what prompted Amanda to seclude herself, but I figured that it was private and should only be between her and Hannah.


	5. The Heavy Weight of Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Sleepy
> 
> In the aftermath of her forced breakup with Amanda, Hannah expects to feel something. So why is it that she doesn't feel anything at all? She feels nothing but the heavy weight of nothing pressing down on her in a veil. It is a struggle for her to get up out of bed each morning, but she manages, if not for her than for her family, some of whom who had traveled far to be home for the holidays. 
> 
> But then, these _are_ the holidays, the things that miracles are made of, right?

The Heavy Weight of Nothing

Hannah England lay in her bed, staring up at her dark ceiling, the hint of daylight peeking around the thick curtains that were drawn across the windows of her room. Normally she would be overjoyed to be at home, in her very own bed, but now she didn’t feel much of anything except tired. Not just tired, but exhausted, a weariness that seemed to sap into her bones and steal her strength.

Which was so strange, as she expected to feel _something_. Rage at her father. Grief at what had happened. Concern for how Amanda was handling this…but she didn’t. She felt none of that. She felt nothing. Nothing but a numbness that pressed down on her, crushing her. She just…she wanted to sleep. She wanted to sleep and wake up and be back at Luna Nova before all this had happened, when the first thing she thought about when she woke up in the morning was how much she looked forward to seeing how Amanda’s face would light up when they saw each other at breakfast.

A soft knock at her door. Her mother’s voice through the wood. “Hannah? There’s still some breakfast if you want. Will you be joining us?”

Hannah couldn’t bring herself to answer. She wasn’t hungry, even though she had eaten like a bird at supper last night. So she merely rolled onto her front, her quilts and comforter heavy against her back as she buried her face in her pillow. She had only eaten like a bird last night, and she couldn’t remember the last time that she had taken a shower. But she couldn’t bring herself to care. A moment of silence on the other side of the door, and the soft sound of feet moving away. Hannah closed her eyes, and wished she could will herself to sleep, so that she might escape once more into her dreams where she might have the chance to be with Amanda once more. Try as she might, sleep remained elusive.

Her dreams did not come.

xxxXXXxxx

After the third day, she forced herself into activity. She forced herself to get up, she forced herself to open the curtains of her room, revealing the snow covered grounds. She forced herself to shower, to brush her teeth, to get dressed in something other than her pyjamas. But the one thing that she couldn’t force herself to do was to feel something, and she wondered if there was something wrong with her, if she was now broken.

Her mother was happy to see her up and out of her room, though she stared searchingly into Hannah’s face for a long moment before drawing her into a hug. “I know it hurts, darling,” she murmured. “But in time, the pain will pass.”

Hannah said nothing. Logically, she knew that what her mum was saying was true, that eventually she would feel better. But she was also wrong. Hannah didn’t feel hurt. She didn’t feel anything at all, just this damned numbness. She wished that she could feel something, whether it be grief or anger or bitterness, but she didn’t. Feeling like a puppet, she put forth the effort to at least try to present a semblance of normalcy, going about her day as she might have had her world not come crashing down about her.

Most of her siblings were home for the holidays, as well, and the manor was filled with warmth and love and laughter that Hannah would have normally participated in with gusto…she loved her brothers and sisters with all her heart, and some of the prank wars she had with her older brothers were things of legend. But now it seemed like she existed on her own dreary island in this sea of familial love. Her eldest brother Patrick had taken one look at her after he arrived with his wife and infant son and had immediately asked whose arse he needed to kick, and Hannah had only given a small glance at their father before she shook her head, minutely.

She did not speak with her father, and he did not speak to her.

She caught snippets here and there throughout the week, servants and family whispering amongst themselves from rooms as she passed them in the halls about young love and how it was all so tragic. But they were careful to not speak of it in her presence, for which she was grateful. She was also grateful about how they made sure to try and include her in games and conversations, asking her how her classwork was going, how Barbara and Diana were doing. The oldest of them, her sister Bridget, asked if Finnelan was still as strict as she ever was. Hannah had gamely told some stories of the battles that the professor had had with Akko and had answered questions as they came and played in the games that they invited her to, even if it was all an act on her part. Any laughter on her part was fake, any smile she gave was fake, any joy that she showed did not pierce the veil of nothing that had fallen on her shoulders.

She did not initiate any conversation or game.

The deep sense of weariness also did not dissipate. It was always with her, and she found that she napped often and retired to bed early. Each morning presented the same challenge to get out of bed, and it often took considerable will for her to push the warm covers off of her and swing her legs over the side of the bed, and it took hours for her to shake off the lethargy that gripped her.

A few days before Christmas, Barbara and Diana came to visit, making an already busy house even livelier, and Barbara might as well have been yet another daughter for Hannah’s parents, just one more child amongst the seven England children. Barbara greeted Hannah’s mother warmly, but had been noticeably frosty towards Mister England. Diana, for her part, greeted them both with the same politeness that she reserved for all but those closest to her. Funny, though, how their being here at her home almost hurt. The original plan had been for them to visit Diana’s manor, bring some life into the estate that had been silent for too long. But Hannah had barely been able to muster the strength to get out of bed…a trip to Central England would have been impossible. When Barbara had rang her up and asked if that plan was still happening, Hannah had said that she wouldn’t be able to, sorry. Apparently, Diana and Barbara had taken it upon themselves to rearrange the plan and come and visit her.

What had she ever done to deserve such friends as these?

The two of them brought up Amanda just once, shortly after their arrival and when the three of them were alone in Hannah’s bedroom.

“Has she messaged you at all?” Barbara asked, voice soft, and Hannah didn’t miss how she hadn’t actually used Amanda’s name. She didn’t have to. Hannah knew exactly who the ‘she’ was.

She shook her head. “No.”

Barbara frowned at that, and she and Diana shared concerned glances. “I’d have expected her to fairly bombard you. It seems odd that she’d just roll over and quit like this.” She rested a hand on Hannah’s knee. “And I’m surprised you aren’t trying to fight it.”

Hannah drew her legs up to her chest, not missing the slight look of hurt on Barb’s face at how the move dislodged her hand from her knee. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked, her words dull. “You know how father can get. If I try to go against him on this, it will only result in a fight.” She sighed as she dropped her forehead onto her knees. “What if he was right? What if Amanda really wasn’t good for me?”

To her surprise, it was Diana who answered her, steel in her voice. “And how many people would have said that Akko was a terrible choice for me?” she almost snapped. “A Japanese witch from a mundane family, who was absolutely rubbish at magic and had terrible grades her first year? Someone like that, dating the prodigy of Luna Nova, a witch directly descended from Beatrix?” Hannah lifted her head, meeting the sharp glare from Diana. “Even you two thought that such a thing was mad. But I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am _happy_ with Akko. I’m happier with her than I’ve been in a very long time. Did Amanda make you happy?”

“…yes.”

Diana nodded. “Then she is worth fighting for. Once you turn eighteen in three months, your family will have less say over your affairs, and if you wish to fight for Amanda, then I will back you up, as best I can.”

“So will I,” Barbara added. “You two were so lovely together, I can’t imagine you not dating anymore.”

“But it’s not so simple,” Hannah protested. “I love my family dearly, and I just know that if I choose Amanda when I’m eighteen, then my father wouldn’t hesitate to close me out to protect the family. I care for Amanda dearly, but I don’t know if I could choose her over my family.”

Barbara glowered. “Your dad’s a pig-headed arse,” she muttered darkly.

“He’s still my father, Barb!” Hannah snapped, the ember of her temper flaring for a moment before it was smothered by the crushing weight of oblivion. “Look, can we…can we just not talk about this anymore?” she asked, her shoulders slumping. “It’s bad enough thinking about what going back to school is going to be like, what…” Her breath hitched in her throat. “What _seeing_ her every day and knowing that I can’t hold her or kiss her or be with her is going to do to me.”

Barbara frowned. “But…”

“Barbara, that’s enough,” Diana said, her voice soft but firm, and for a moment it looked like Barb would protest, but then she sighed and nodded. “That whole unfortunate business aside, I noticed that Bridget is expecting. How is she doing?”

The conversation moved on to safer topics, but Hannah couldn’t help but ruminate on one of the things that Barbara had said. It really was strange that someone as rebellious as Amanda would cease all contact with Hannah. Why hadn’t she messaged her? Why hadn’t Hannah heard a single word from her since that terrible ‘okay’ that haunted her dreams? No messages telling her to yell at her father, no requests for clarity as to what had happened, no questions about how Hannah was doing. No response to the message that Hannah had sent Amanda, an ‘I’m so, _so_ sorry’ that was still unanswered. That bothered Hannah. Why should she put forth the effort to fight for Amanda if Amanda had not put forth the effort to fight for her?

Diana and Barbara only stayed a few days, and Hannah wouldn’t ever admit it, but she was relieved when they finally left. She loved them both, but having them present reminded of Hannah of school, and whenever she thought about school, she dreaded the end of break and the return to Luna Nova, where she wouldn’t have a choice but to face Amanda. What were their other friends going to say? How were the Red and Green teams going to treat her in the aftermath of all of this? They all liked Amanda far more than they liked her…would she have to check her food and drink in case Sucy decided to spike them? Would she have to face Lotte’s disappointed expression when she came over to chill with Barbara? What would Akko say to her? She wore her heart on her sleeve and wouldn’t hesitate to let Hannah know exactly what she thought of her and the situation! And Jas and Cons…no more homemade snacks, no more playing video games. Yes, she had Avery and Mary and Blair she could hang out with, but _God_ had she grown to truly care for each and every one of the Red and Green teams, even Sucy. The thought of losing them as friends, too…so yes, it was with a sense of relief that she closed the door behind Barbara and Diana after their farewells, and she stood there in the silence of the foyer as the relief quickly faded.

Once more, oblivion came crashing down, and the numbness set in. She would skip dinner that night, and go to bed early.

xxxXXXxxx

Christmas Day itself was enjoyable enough, even if her enjoyment came more from the looks on the faces of the others as they opened the gifts that she had got them than from anything that she received. There was a moment of tension, when she was handed a present that was from her father. She stared at it for a moment before she set it aside, unopened. She did not meet her father’s gaze, did not see the look of pain that flitted across his face. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared. She couldn’t open anything that was solely from him right now. Perhaps after she started to feel again…

Unfortunately most of her brothers and sisters had to leave after Christmas itself, their holidays much shorter than the Luna Nova break. Some of them would try to return for New Year’s Eve, but the day after Christmas the house became significantly less lively, the halls emptying of her older siblings, and the manor seemed to pick up the solemn airs that still gripped her.

Then, on the 27th, something happened. It was a stormy day, gusts of wind driving snow whistling through the air. It was a day for staying home, for wearing thick house robes and curling up into a chair before a fire with a thick mug of cocoa and enjoying a book, and Hannah had spent the morning doing just that. At midday, she joined her family for a silent, tense lunch as snow continued to blow wildly past the windows on the east wall when three deep booms echoed through the house, coming from the front of the manor. They all shot each other confused and concerned glances before another three booms sounded, heavy enough to almost shake dust from the ceiling. Someone was knocking.

They all got up and made their way from the dining room to the foyer, curious to see exactly who was pounding on their door so loudly. Christopher, their butler, reached the door before them, and cracked it open, snow laden wind whistling around him as he spoke to who was beyond the door. After a moment, he turned his head towards all of them. “A visitor, sir,” he said, tone obviously confused.

Her father made a gesture with his hand. “Well, let them in.”

“She’s refusing, sir, says she needs permission from the master of the house itself.”

 _Her?_ Hannah’s interest was piqued, and she followed after her father as he made his way sighing to the door. And so, she had clear view of a familiar red-headed witch when her father opened the door.

“You,” her father said, his voice flat. “What do _you_ want?”

“I come seeking hospitality,” Amanda called out over the wind that pushed against her back. “Would you open your doors to a wearied traveler? Am I well come by your hearth, sir?” The words were stiffly formal, something that surprised Hannah just as much as her (ex?) girlfriend appearing on her doorstep on a stormy day in late December. But the words, for all their archaic formality, had been chosen with care. She invoked hospitality. For Hannah’s father to turn her away into a storm would be unthinkable, even with hotels readily available in nearby Carlisle.

And so, after a moment’s hesitation, he stepped back, opening the door wide. “You are well come to my steadings, traveler,” he intoned. “Warm yourself by my fire, sate your hunger with my food, slake your thirst with my ale. My hospitality is yours to have, as long as you stay in peace.”

Then, and only then, did Amanda cross the threshold, stepping in out of the thickly falling snow, and Hannah’s father shut the oak door behind her. Now that she was inside, Hannah was able to get a good look at her.

A large, sleek broom rested on her shoulder, and she was dressed excessively warmly, with a leather bomber jacket that had a very thick fleece liner, and a sheepskin ushanka hat with flight goggles resting over the top of them was crammed on her head. Sturdy winter boots covered her feet, and given their bulk, Hannah had to assume that she was wearing several layers under her water-resistant cargo pants. A thick wool scarf was wrapped around her neck. Her hands were protected by gloves, and she had a small rucksack on her back and various pouches hanging off of her waist. She looked for all the world like an arctic explorer.

“May I ask what you are doing here, Miss O’Neill?” her father ground out, looking wholly displeased with the situation.

Amanda carefully lay her broom on the floor before she brushed the snow from her hat and shoulders. She took off her hat and gloves and stuffed them into the pouch hanging from her right hip, her red hair springing to its customary wild style. “Certainly, sir,” she said as she pulled out her wand and cleaned up the snow she had brought into the foyer. That done, she met his annoyed hazel gaze. “Over the past week, I have flown from Dallas, Texas to here.”

A stunned silence met her words.

“What?” Hannah’s mother finally said.

Amanda turned her attention to her, eyes narrowing in a weather bitten face. “Over the past seven days, I have flown five thousand seven hundred miles, and I crossed the North Atlantic, braving stormy seas and icy gales, all to stand here before you.” She squared her shoulders and set her jaw, unflinchingly meeting his eyes. “Mister England, I am in love with your daughter, and I will do all that and more to prove it!”

“Are you absolutely fucking mental?!”

Everyone standing in the foyer flinched at the loud words that Hannah had very nearly screeched, and they turned to stare at her as emotion finally broke through the oppressive veil of numbness that had gripped her these past weeks. Not joy, not admiration, but rage, deep and seething, and her hands tightened into fists, nails biting into her palms as she glared at the taller American witch. Not even the fact that Amanda had totally just admitted that she loved Hannah could temper her rage.

“You flew across the bloody North Atlantic on your _broom?_ ” she seethed. “Are you _stupid?_ You could have died!”

Amanda frowned back at her. “I took precautions!” she objected. “And besides, what better way to show how serious I am than by being the first witch to have a successful trans-Atlantic flight on a normal broom in centuries?”

“You could have done it by getting on a damned plane and flown here like a normal person!”

“Yeah, but anybody could do that.”

Hannah made a strangled sound under her breath and threw her hands up into the air.

“You…flew across the Atlantic?” her father finally said, his expression awed.

Giving Hannah a wary glance, Amanda returned her attention to Hannah’s father. “Yes, sir. Six hundred ninety miles from Nutak, Newfoundland and Labrador to Prins Christianssund, Greenland, where I spent the night three days ago. From there, I flew to Reykjavík in Iceland, a full seven hundred thirty-eight miles.” Her face grew distant and wearied. “That was the longest single distance flight over water that I had to do, and I was exhausted at the end of it. I’ve never slept as well as I did that night. Then it was the flight to Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, a short rest to stretch my legs before I flew to Thurso in Northern Scotland. Spent the night there before flying down Scotland to here.” Her eyes glinted with determination. “As I said, I would do it again to prove myself.”

He quirked a brow as he folded his arms across his chest. “That’s an awful lot of flying just to try and impress me.”

Amanda shook her head. “You misunderstand, sir. I didn’t do it for _you_ , I did it for _her_.” She stepped around him and moved up to Hannah, joining their hands together as she stared deep into Hannah’s eyes. “Hannah, I love you. I love you like I’ve never loved anyone else. I would make that flight over and over again if you asked it of me.”

“Amanda…” Hannah started, anger still burning in her chest, but…by the Nine, the look that Amanda was giving her coupled with that confession…

Amanda gave her a soft grin before her expression sobered, and she looked around her to all the others who were watching the two of them, and Hannah noticed the storm clouds on her father’s face. “I am Amanda Rose O’Neill, of the Nine New Witches and one of the Companions to Diana Cavendish. Through our efforts, Magic has been reawakened!” she cried, her clear voice ringing through the foyer, steady and strong. “My lineage is long and noble, and of many branches. Medicine Women of the Navajo and Sioux tribes are my foremothers, and the wild magic of America runs strong in my veins. My grandmother is of Irish stock, and her mothers can be traced back to Findabair and her mother, Medb, the Queen of Connacht. Before her and going back to the Beginning, I draw ancestry from the courts of the Tuatha Dé Danann and I share distant kinship with the Morrígan.”

Once more shocked silence greeted her, and she turned cool green eyes on Hannah’s father. “There can be little issue to take with my lineage, sir. As for my current family’s conduct…I _hate_ them,” she hissed, her words venomous. “You might have distaste for them, but I assure you that whatever you feel as an outsider, I feel a hundred times over having to be associated with them.” She drew in a deep breath, looking away. “I know that I’ve done wrong in the past, and I can’t truly make up for them. But there are two things I can solemnly swear with all of you here as witnesses: that I will make my own way in this world, that I will cut myself off from the O’Neill family.” She glanced at Hannah, her face softening. “Family isn’t always blood. Sometimes it’s who you choose, and I would choose you and the others over my own flesh and blood every time.”

Hannah’s father cleared his throat as he looked at Amanda, his gaze stern. “So you would renounce your own family for Hannah’s sake?”

“Without hesitation.”

He quirked a brow. “And if I asked you to renounce thievery before I considered letting you date my daughter?”

“I’d refuse, and for good reason. If it wasn’t for my attempted theft of the legendary broom Shooting Star, then Diana and Akko would have perished in their fight against the Noir Missile. I won’t say that I won’t steal again, not when my doing so saved the lives of two of my friends and possibly prevented a nuclear war, but what I can say is that I won’t steal without very good reason.” Her eyes narrowed. “And besides, once again and with all respect, but I don’t care so much about what _you_ think, sir. I care about what _Hannah_ thinks. She’s her own person, and can date who she wants, and trying to force her to not date me without even bothering to talk to me will only cause terrible tension in your family. If you truly love your daughter, I beg you to reconsider. That said, I would not wish to deprive Hannah of a loving family.” She gave a bitter grimace. “I know what it is like to want for love from a parent, from siblings, from cousins and grandparents. The times that Hannah spoke about you before makes it clear that she deeply loves all of you. If it is _Hannah_ who wishes for me to win your approval before we date, then I will do so. But if she wishes to date me regardless of what you wish, then no power on Earth can stop us!”

He stared at her for a moment before huffing. “I suppose that such bravado can only be expected of an American.” He looked to Hannah. “I have never seen my free-spirited daughter so depressed as I have these past few weeks,” he mused. “I had thought that her relationship with you was young love, a mere infatuation. But given her reaction to all this and the fact that you were both brave and stupid enough to fly across the North Atlantic on a broom to prove yourself…” He spread his hands wide. “I withdraw my objection to your relationship, so long as you renounce your ties with your family.”

Once more, vivid green eyes found Hannah, a deep and soft emotion in them. “Absolutely.”

“Very well then.” He paused thoughtfully. “I assume that you need a place to stay?”

Amanda had the good graces to look bashful. “Until school starts, yeah. I have enough money that’s mine that I can stay in a hotel until it starts, but…”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, I did offer my hospitality. Just don’t do anything that would prompt me to revoke it, and you can stay here.” He glared. “That means you stay in the guest room!”

Amanda raised her right hand. “Scout’s honor, sir.”

“Very well. Alice?” A servant appeared at his elbow. “Please show Miss O’Neill to her room. We’ll have some refreshments sent to you, and you can change. Dinner will be in a few hours.” Amanda followed Alice, shooting Hannah a smile over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner.

Dinner was…awkward, to say the least. While her father might have been suitably impressed by Amanda’s idiocy (typical of a man) he still wasn’t overly fond of Amanda. For Hannah, it took her a long time to even wrap her mind around the fact that Amanda was sitting at her dinner table, greedily wolfing down food and only just remaining proper. It seemed almost like a dream, and she pinched herself multiple times just to make sure it wasn’t. Amanda was sitting across from her after flying across the Atlantic, and they were dating again. It was hard to believe, especially with how beautiful Amanda was right now. She had taken the opportunity to get much more comfortable, a thick off-white Aran jumper and heavy black winter leggings suiting her well, especially with her wild hair and tanned skin, her cheeks still red from the winds that she had braved to reach Hannah.

Of course, Amanda was turning on all her charm, and was winning over Hannah’s mother quickly enough, and even managed to draw a chuckle or two from her father before he remembered he was supposed to be stern. Hannah’s younger siblings viewed Amanda as a hero. She was already famous as one of the Nine New Witches, and she went on to amaze them with stories of her journey across the Atlantic, of the pods of dolphins she had flown over, of the bridge crew of a cargo ship braving thirty foot waves that she had scared the dickens out of when she flew past them. And also of the forests and glaciers of the wilds that she had traveled across, of how northern lights had stretched across the sky, guiding her into Iceland. Amanda knew how to weave a tale, and well after dinner had ended all of them, Hannah’s father included, were practically on the edges of their seats as she told them about the point where she hit a magical dead zone, her broom struggling to stay aloft, her toes brushing the crests of the waves, wondering if this was it, if this was the end of poor Amanda Rose O’Neill!

“What happened next?” Hannah’s youngest brother breathlessly asked, his brown eyes wide open in amazement.

Amanda grinned. “Why, wouldn’t you believe it, but a whale surfaced and let me ride on her back until we got back to a spot where magic was plentiful.” She nodded sagely. “I am now indebted to her and her pod for life. I only hope to do right by them.”

Hannah’s mother looked around the table. “Well, I believe that’s as good a place to end the stories for tonight as any. We can hear more tomorrow. Come, children, time to get ready for bed.”

A chorus of groans filled the air, but her younger brothers and sisters nonetheless moved to do what they had been told, Amanda smiling fondly after them. “Cute kids,” she said, “you can really tell they’re related to you.” The smile slid away from her face, and she turned to face Hannah. “I really am glad that I’m here. It…it got hairy a time or two. There were plenty of instances when the only thing that kept me going was the thought of seeing you again. The blizzard in Newfoundland, the gale force winds that tossed me around in the sky three hours after I lost sight of land between Greenland and Iceland. The dead zone…” She hunched over, her face hidden behind her hair. “When my navigation spell failed, when the broom dropped out of the sky like a meteor…I only just got it flying again before I hit the water that had icebergs the size of mountains in it. Even with my clothing and my life preserver, if I hit that water that would have been it. I was so…so _scared_ that I wasn’t ever going to see you again. No whale came to save me, no ships were in sight. It was just me, the wind, the waves, and a broom that seemed as though it would fail on me. I prayed, then, harder than I’ve ever prayed before. To God, to Hekate, to the Nine, to Jennifer…anyone who I thought might be listening, anyone who might help me see the woman I loved again.”

Hannah stood, walked around the table, and seized Amanda in a fierce hug, burying her face in the crook of Amanda’s neck. How close had she come to never feeling this warmth against her? How close had it been that she’d never get to hear Amanda’s breathing or the beating of her heart? How close was it that she’d never get to smell the scent of wind and grass and spice that was wholly _Amanda?_ “You ever do something that stupid again, it won’t be the water that’ll kill you, I’ll strangle you myself,” she whispered hoarsely.

Strong arms returned her embrace, and they stayed there until there was a polite cough from the doorway, Hannah’s mother coming to let them know that the bathrooms were available. They separated, blushing, and made their way upstairs. Amanda’s room was down the hall but was still in the same wing as Hannah’s room, and so they got ready for bed together, brushing teeth side-by-side, and again that feeling of oddness gripped Hannah. Amanda was _right there_ , brushing her teeth in one of the bathrooms of Hannah’s home. It still seemed so surreal.

They parted after that, hugging briefly in the hall before walking in opposite directions to their own rooms, and Hannah changed for bed quickly, her silk pyjamas smooth against her skin as she slipped under her heavy covers.

Sleep did not come.

She lay in bed, the minutes turning into hours as the house ticked and creaked around her, the wind still whistling and howling outside. She had almost lost Amanda. Amanda had almost _died_. What would that have been like, getting that news on her return to Luna Nova? That Amanda O’Neill, the girl as free as the falcon, had died, scared and cold and alone in the North Atlantic, her final thoughts being yearning regret that she would never see-

She was out of her bed before she realized she was moving, and she threw her robe on, not even bothering to tie it around her waist as she wrenched her bedroom door open before almost running down the hall, her robe flaring out behind her.

She didn’t knock. She _couldn’t_ knock, not when that would mean an instant longer away from Amanda. She pulled the door open, and the figure in the bed immediately sat up, green eyes almost glowing in the darkness, their alertness betraying that Amanda hadn’t been able to fall asleep either. “Hannah?” she asked, voice quiet and throaty, and Hannah pushed the door shut behind her, the latch clicking quietly closed as she pushed the robe off of her shoulders and kicked the slippers off of her feet before almost launching herself into Amanda’s bed, into Amanda’s open and ready arms.

Their lips met, the kiss desperate and fierce and aching, and Hannah sobbed into Amanda’s mouth as they embraced, arms wrapped tightly around each other, their bodies falling back into the bed together.

All the emotions that had eluded Hannah for so long came rushing in, all the grief at what had happened, all the fear of what the future held, all the relief of Amanda being here, in her house, in her _arms_ , all the love…

She pulled back just far enough to speak, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “I love you, Amanda,” she cried, the sobs wrenching at her whole body. “God, I love you so much, don’t ever do something to scare me like that again!”

“I won’t, Hannah, I promise, I’m so sorry, I love you, too,” Amanda murmured comfortingly, and Hannah burrowed deeper into her embrace, letting all the pent up emotions that had been beyond that heavy blanket of nothing out, and Amanda held her throughout all of it.

Out in the hall, Harold England stood at their door, his brows drawn together in a frown and his hand on the doorknob. But after a moment of listening to his daughter’s wrenching sobs through the door, he sighed, his hand dropping off of the knob. He turned and made his way back to his room where his wife was waiting for him. He would make no mention of this to Hannah or Amanda. They needed this.

It would take over an hour for Hannah to stop crying, and sometime after that before they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

It would be the best night of sleep that either of them had since that terrible last day at Luna Nova…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one was supposed to be shorter than the others, and yet here we are, 1400 words longer than the previous chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though!


	6. The Past That Tempers Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amanda starts to get settled into her new life at the England manor, with one of the first things done being a clothes shopping trip with Hannah, and they take full advantage of the date. Afterwards, Amanda has a peculiar demand for Harold England, and upon discovery of more of the manor she now calls home, a challenge as well. After all, there weren't many people who could take her on in table tennis!

The Past That Tempers Us

The rest of the winter holidays passed quickly and without event. Hannah actually had a lot of fun taking Amanda out clothes shopping the day after Amanda had arrived. She had traveled frightfully light, only the very bare minimum of spare clothes and supplies had come with her, since every extra gram she carried was an extra gram that her broom had to keep aloft. She was direly short on clothing, something Hannah took to rectifying with relish. Plus, she got to see a slight look of fear in Amanda’s eyes when she told her that they were going to Carlisle for shopping. Flying across the Atlantic on a broom in late December? Not an issue. Going shopping with her girlfriend? _That_ was what was scary.

Of course Amanda offered to pay for her own clothes, something that Hannah very quickly shot down. While Amanda did have a trust fund, she would very quickly be without any sort of financial support once she officially broke ties with her family. That had been an interesting discussion that morning after they had woken up and Hannah had sneaked back to her room. It was actually her father who brought it up at the end of breakfast after her mother and siblings had already left the table, his words almost offhand as he buttered a scone. Amanda was obviously staying with them for the rest of the winter holidays, but had she given any thought about where she was going to stay after the end of the school year and before the start of their third year?

Amanda had squared her jaw. “I’ll manage,” she had said in a brave voice, and her father had promptly snorted, muttering something under his breath about young love and foolhardy teenagers.

“You can stay here.” Simple words, spoken so matter-of-factly that it took a moment for Hannah to actually comprehend what her father had just said, and she and Amanda had sent each other shocked glances. “Oh, don’t look so damn surprised,” he had grumbled. “I’m asking Miss O’Neill to renounce her family. It would be irresponsible of me to turn her loose into the world. We’ve plenty of room here, and we can help her get a visa or apply for citizenship.” He had huffed, almost amused. “After what you did for our nation, I rather imagine that any application thereof is going to be rushed right along.” He had paused thoughtfully. “Perhaps permanent residency?”

“Mister England, you don’t have to do that for me.”

An arched brow. “The hell I don’t. I am asking that you put yourself through significant hardship in order to date my daughter. You will stay here, and are indefinitely a welcome guest.” He had glared at the two of them at that. “And that means no funny business! You’ll sleep in your own beds at night, at least until you’re both eighteen!”

Hannah had almost immediately blushed a very bright red, and a glance showed that Amanda had followed her example. “Father!”

He had smirked. “You seem to forget, Hannah bear, that I was once a teenager, too.” A wistful, reminiscent grin. “Oh, your mother was the light of my life,” he had sighed. “Still is, of course, but the days of our youth…what I wouldn’t give to be eighteen again.” The grin had quickly turned back into the stern glare. “I mean what I said! No funny business!”

Never had Hannah ever wanted to disappear than she had at that moment. Her father was talking about her and Amanda…she had glanced at Amanda to see her face was almost as bright red as her hair.

Thankfully (and praise the Nine!) that was the end of that conversation, and it wasn’t long until they were taking a car to Carlisle. What little conversation they had on the drive out was supremely stilted and awkward, and it wasn’t until after they arrived in downtown Carlisle that Hannah relaxed. She was in her natural habitat now. Eagerly seizing Amanda by her hand, she quickly pulled her along after giving the chauffeur instructions to return promptly at four o’clock. He had nodded, and soon the Bentley was zooming off as Hannah headed towards their first destination: a standard department store.

“We need to get you the essentials before we get to the fun stuff,” she explained at Amanda’s questioning look. “It makes more sense to get that stuff here rather than at a designer store, yeah?”

Amanda smirked as she threw her arms across Hannah’s shoulders, tucking her in close. “That’s awfully frugal of you,” she chuckled.

“I’m not spending a fifty quid a pop on underwear that’s for day to day use, love. Bargain packs work just fine for that.” Then, with a wicked grin, she nudged her shoulder teasingly into Amanda’s side. “An entirely different story for the stuff for special occasions, of course.”

Amanda’s face flushed, and she groaned as she buried her face in her free hand. “Oh my God, please, don’t! Not so soon after what your dad said!”

Hannah laughed. “Sorry, not sorry, babe. In all seriousness, there are some things that I’d really like to see you in. If my buying you clothes is my Christmas present to you, then you modeling in what I pick is your gift to me.”

Amanda’s face stayed a bright red as she pursed her lips before she finally gave a terse nod. Ah, excellent! Hannah, 1, Amanda, 0.

They didn’t spend too long in the department store. A few packs of underwear and three sports and two standard bras and a pack of socks, and they were rung up, heading back out into the cold winter’s day, hands clasped and blushes on their cheeks. For all her teasing, Hannah couldn’t ignore how thrilling it was that she was just about to be seeing her girlfriend flaunting her toned and sexy body, especially since this was the very first time that they were actually doing this together. Amanda seemed to be rather boringly pragmatic in her clothing and not too keen on wearing designer brands, and she was even more adverse to shopping trips in general. She’d much rather spend a date playing video games or watching a movie or something actually _fun_. So today? Hannah was going to take full advantage of today!

She was not without mercy, however. The first store they stopped at had clothing more suited to Amanda’s tastes, with more masculine cuts and utilitarian styles. The look of relief that Amanda gave Hannah made coming here first worth it, and besides, Amanda really could rock out the cargo pants look, to say nothing of the jeans and the various graphic t-shirts and button-up plaid shirts, both in cotton and in flannel. If there was a look that really worked for Amanda, it was definitely butch. The store also had a shoe section, and Amanda left the place with a new set of trainers…she still had uniforms aplenty in her room at Luna Nova, but she had worn her shoes home, and hadn’t wasted the space it would have taken to bring them with her on her flight.

From there, things got progressively hotter with each successive store that they went to. Designer leggings (including a frankly garish pair that had countless Union Jacks printed across them with a saying printed across their seat that Hannah couldn’t say in polite company), short shorts that got progressively shorter until Hannah was dead certain that they were actually illegal to wear, miniskirts that were probably more suited to being belts, and various tops that hugged Amanda’s toned torso in _incredibly_ flattering ways. All these and more, Amanda gamely tried on, and it could never be said that she wasn’t absolutely confident in her body…it wasn’t all that long before she started to pose in more and more ridiculous ways, more often than not drawing a giggle and a blush from Hannah.

Ninety percent of what was tried on was returned, of course, and what they did buy was the more conservative things that Amanda tried on, save for the Union Jack leggings that Amanda insisted that she get. But then, that was the point, wasn’t it? They were having fun, spending the day together like this, putting the still too recent trauma behind them. They needed this, more than they could put to words.

In between stores, they ate lunch at one of Hannah’s favorite bistros, the meal relaxed and comfortable, and there was just something about having Amanda sitting across the table from her at the eatery that she had spent countless hours at that made her heart swell with affection. Amanda was really _here_ , with her, in her hometown. This was their future. This was _real_. That epiphany had come while Amanda was in the middle of telling a funny story about a misadventure she had once had in the past, and she was so involved in telling the story that Hannah was loathe to interrupt. So she had said nothing, instead choosing to bask in that wonderful warmth and Amanda’s story, cherishing this moment for as long as it lasted.

But of course, all things must come to an end, and after the story and the meal and settling the bill (Hannah paid, much to Amanda’s consternation) they headed back out into the cold street, and Hannah found that she couldn’t hold back anymore. She had thrown her arms around Amanda, hugging her tight and close, and after a moment, Amanda returned the hug, her hand finding the back of Hannah’s head, almost cradling her close. “What’s this hug for?” Amanda asked in a soft, amused voice as the crowds flowed around them, a stream moving around the island of their serenity.

“Just wanted to,” Hannah replied. “Just…really glad you’re here.”

Amanda hummed, warm arms squeezing her slightly closer. “I’m glad I’m here, too, Hannah. More than I can properly express.”

They would hold each other there in the pavement (or sidewalk, as Amanda stubbornly called it) for a long moment before finally separating and continuing on to the next store. They would continue to shop until 4:00 when, feeling pleasantly tired and sated from their day on the town, they met up with the driver and returned to the manor that they both called home now.

xxxXXXxxx

It was funny how things changed with time. If someone told the Hannah of a year ago that there would come a time when she would witness Amanda adamantly insisting to help with chores, she would have called them absolutely mad. Amanda O’Neill? _That_ slacker, volunteering to work? No way! Not with how she lazed about in class, or with how she griped about having to do any work during her detentions rather than just grit her teeth and do it, not with how Amanda actually showing effort at doing something generally meant that a student or professor was just about to be the target of one of her pranks.

And yet, here she was, practically begging Hannah’s father to help with the chores, something that seemed to surprise him as well. “You do realize that I’m not actually asking for you to do anything?” he asked that evening after they had put away the day’s haul. “You’re my guest.”

Amanda shook her head. “No, sir. If I’m gonna really live here, then I’m not a guest, and people should take care of the places that they live at.”

“You do realize we have a household staff, right?”

She nodded. “You do. And yet your children still tidy their rooms and help the staff out with their work, even if it’s only to teach them how to actually appreciate hard work. I ain’t a slacker. Please, sir.”

He stared at her for a moment before he hummed thoughtfully. “You’re from Texas, correct? How much do you know about horses?”

Amanda grinned. “We’ve got quite a few ranches. I even helped with a cattle drive when I was fifteen.” She paused, the grin turning teasing. “Even if y’all do have weird saddles here.”

Her father’s face grew flat. “I’d rather believe that it is you Yanks that have the odd saddles,” he sniffed indignantly before he noticed the look and Amanda’s face. “Ah, right, sorry. You _Americans_ ,” he drawled, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Never did understand how any of you could ride comfortably with a great bleeding saddle horn in front of you…”

Amanda’s voice almost flawlessly matched his tone and accent: “Never did understand how any of you could drive cattle comfortably without something to control the rope with.”

They stared at each other for a moment before they both laughed, her father’s more refined than Amanda’s earthy chortle. “Very well, then, Miss O’Neill. If you truly wish to help beyond keeping your room tidy, then you can help in the stables and with exercising the horses. Does that sound fair?”

Amanda’s wide, toothy grin was positively delighted. “It would be my genuine pleasure, sir!”

Now, Hannah would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised at how well Amanda actually took to that. It definitely wasn’t an empty promise or offer, and it certainly wasn’t something that Amanda only did halfheartedly or as a token gesture…she really gave it her all. It was a shock that next morning when Hannah discovered that Amanda had dragged herself out of bed and had met with the stable hands very early in the morning and had mucked the stables, made sure that food and water was distributed, and that the horses were turned out to pasture with their thickly padded winter coats properly secured to them…all before Hannah had even woken up.

Even her father had taken notice of her hard work after he had joined Hannah at one of the bay windows looking out over the grounds, where they could see Amanda down by the barn where she was talking with Brian, their stable master, reins of one of their breeding mares held loosely in Amanda’s hands. “It seems I have misjudged Miss O’Neill,” he said, voice thoughtful. “What reports that I have been able to get from Luna Nova suggested that she was lazy and insubordinate.”

Hannah hummed in agreement. “I think that was true last year, but after she became friends with Akko and then after she became one of the Nine New Witches, her attitude changed somewhat.” She paused. “And then, earlier this year, I actually bothered to start praising her for the things that she does well, and she made a near one-eighty change in her behavior. She’s sharp as a tack, and does very well when she’s feeling motivated.” She turned and gave her father a sad smile. “It’s just a pity that there wasn’t anyone to really work with her during our first year. If I…if _we_ had bothered to look past the façade that she presented to the world, then perhaps things would have been different.”

“True. But we can’t change the past, can we?”

She shook her head. “No, but we can let it temper our future behavior. While I certainly regret my past actions, I wouldn’t change where we’re at right now for the world.”

They stood in contemplative silence for a moment longer before her father spoke again. “Would you have chosen her over our family?”

Hannah winced. “I really don’t know. I love you and mum and everyone else but…” She bit her lip. “Dad, I love her too. I don’t think I really realized it until the night she flew in, when I really understood just how close I came to losing her.” Turning to fully face him, she looked up into his face with a lost expression. “Is love supposed to be this frightening?”

With a sigh, he stepped forward and wrapped her up in a warm embrace, strong arms bringing her the same comfort she had always drawn from him when she was lost and confused, and she buried her head in the crook of his shoulder as that old familiar smell of newspapers, brandy, and the faint scent of pipe smoke soothed her further. “Yes, Hannah, it is,” he murmured, baritone voice rumbling against Hannah’s cheek. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose you or your mother or any of your siblings. I won’t lie, I was incredibly relieved when I didn’t see you amongst all those witches on that broom. I know that you will encounter danger, as that’s life, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. And the thought of losing someone you well and truly love truly is frightening.”

“You don’t seem too put out by the fact that I love her,” Hannah whispered, and he grunted.

“I think I knew with the way you reacted to what I did. You’ve never been one to mope about for long, so when your melancholy pushed into whole weeks…that’s when I realized that I may have erred.” He chuckled. “Truth be told, I was thinking of at least discussing the issue with you when she showed up on our doorstep.” His arms loosened, and he stepped back, hands on her shoulders as he peered into her eyes. “Most of my issue was with her family. But there is one more thing that I wish to talk with her about. Probably at breakfast…better to get it done sooner rather than later, really.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Hmm. Given how she’s acted thus far, I don’t believe so, Hannah bear. It’s more of a…” he paused, obviously searching for the right words, “…more of a confirmation of what I already suspect.” He smiled gently as one hand went to the crown of her head, briskly mussing her hair. “Now, get ready for breakfast, your hair is an absolutely bird’s nest right now!”

Laughing, she swatted his hand away as she skipped back. “Right, right! No need to rub it in.”

He gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Oh, Lord preserve me, was that pun intentional? If that’s that girl’s doing, I might have to rethink this! No daughter of mine will bandy about with a punner!”

She stuck her tongue at him as she continued to walk backwards. “Too late, papa, not with how much I love her!” Laughing, she turned around and skipped back to her room to get ready for the rest of the day, feeling lighter, as though a burden she hadn’t known was there had been lifted from her shoulders. Her father knew that she loved Amanda and didn’t seem at all opposed. If anything, he had been entirely approving, something that just a short while ago, Hannah had thought all but impossible. One thing was for absolute certain though: she was extremely grateful that she wouldn’t have to choose between Amanda and her family. That choice could very well have destroyed her…

Some twenty minutes later, she walked into the dining room to see Amanda standing at the windows, gazing out over the rolling hills at the edge of the grounds, and Hannah grinned. “Is that the sign of honest labor that I see, Amanda?” she said teasingly, and Amanda turned to face her with that crooked grin that always served to make Hannah’s stomach flutter, especially at times like now, when those green eyes sparkled with easy mirth and those tanned cheeks were kissed a healthy red from the brisk wind outside.

Amanda pulled her hands from her pockets, spreading her fingers wide as she showed her palms to Hannah. “Yup, and I’ve got the callouses to prove it,” she laughed. “You’ve got some fine horses, Hannah. Brian was saying that he’d like to see me up in the saddle tomorrow, which will be nice.” Her smile grew slightly distant as she grew lost in thought. “The next best thing to riding a broom is to be in the saddle. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when you’re with a horse.”

Hannah hummed softly, glancing around to make absolutely certain that they were still alone in the room before she stole up to Amanda, rising up on her toes to press her lips against Amanda’s, the warm kiss lingering before she dropped back to the floor, grinning teasingly up at Amanda. “So where do I rate in this scheme of yours? Below the horse?”

Amanda snorted, cupping Hannah’s cheek as she slowly leaned in. “Nah, babe. Being with you is even better than riding a broom. The two don’t even compare.” Now it was her kissing Hannah, and this one was insistent, lighting a fire in Hannah’s belly. Her hands found Amanda’s shoulders, lightly gripping the thick wool of the jumper as she pushed up into the kiss with a happy sigh. This was nice, this-

“Now, what did I say about funny business?”

The two of them sprang apart, both of them furiously blushing as Amanda licked her lips, and they both turned to see Hannah’s father watching them with a quirked brow and a teasing glint in his eyes. “Umm…” Hannah started, but he waved a dismissive hand as he moved to the head of the table.

“Inasmuch as I’m glad to see that you two are madly in love and not afraid to show it, I’d rather you not snog in the dining room,” he said in a dry voice as the rest of the family began to appear, Henry and Thomas roughhousing until their mother told them to sit down, and Alice giggled at her brother’s groans as they all made their way to their seats. “Hannah is an aristocrat, after all…some propriety is a good thing.”

The door leading to the kitchen opened, and servants filed in, bearing the trays and platters that contained breakfast, and any further conversation was put on hold in the bustle of the food being set up. Hannah and Amanda sat together, Hannah to her father’s left and across the table from her mother, and she giggled at how Amanda’s eyes lit up as lids and covers were removed, revealing the copious amount of food beneath.

“One thing I have to say about you Brits, is y’all know how to do breakfast right,” she said as she nodded thankfully to the maid closest to her as the older woman stepped back, and Amanda grinned with eager delight as she began to spoon food onto her plate.

“Quite, it’s better to eat heartily than to eat like a bird,” her father agreed as he and the rest of the family followed Amanda’s lead, serving themselves. “I’m glad that you find our food to your liking.”

Amanda grinned at him. “Better’n what they served at Luna Nova. I may be of Irish stock, but even I get tired of all those potatoes!”

They all chuckled at that, and after a moment’s pause to say grace, they began to dig in, Amanda being particularly voracious about it, only just keeping within the limits of politeness as she wolfed the food down. No surprise there, Hannah knew…Amanda had certainly already worked up an appetite that morning!

Most of the conversation was light for most of the meal, and it wasn’t until towards the end of breakfast that Hannah’s father cleared his throat, steady eyes dropping on Amanda as she refilled her coffee cup for the third time. She noticed his look and placed the coffee urn down before turning her head to fully face him. “Sir?” she asked with a curious lilt to her voice.

“There’s something I’d like to learn about you, Miss O’Neill,” he said as he lifted his own cup from its saucer. “And that’s why you took up thievery.”

Amanda blinked, her face kept carefully blank, though Hannah didn’t miss the flash of wary concern before she carefully schooled her expression. The rest of the table had grown quiet, even Thomas settling down, and he was the youngest of all of them. “Sir?” Amanda asked again, the word quietly delivered, and Hannah noticed how Amanda was slightly tensed, as though she were preparing to fight or flee.

His voice was soft, non-judgmental. “We’ve established that you hate your family, something I’m rather happy about, but that still doesn’t quite explain your own past as a thief.”

Amanda glanced at Hannah for a moment before she focused back on Hannah’s father. “I assume you want the truth?”

“It would certainly help.”

Amanda sighed as she leaned back in her chair. “I wish I could say that it was for a good reason…that I was motived by moral reasons, but then I’d be lying.” She grimaced. “Honestly? It was for quite a few reasons. Being bored was a big one. The challenge was also there, seeing if I could get into these vaults without getting caught, if I could evade their traps. As I got through more and more complex thefts, the pride became a factor. I was Amanda O’Neill, there was no trap that I couldn’t overcome to get into a place. I was also selfish…I released the broom Shooting Star because I wanted to beat Diana in the Luna Nova Cup last year, and for no other reason. I also…just didn’t care.” Her head turned, and green eyes swimming with deep emotion found Hannah’s gaze. “Last year I was only at Luna Nova because my family forced me to be there. I had no reason to apply myself, and after a point I was just…I gave up. I didn’t want to be there, and so I tried to steal something from Appleton Academy. If it wasn’t for Akko, that would have been the end of my time at Luna Nova.” She smiled, soft and heartfelt. “And now that I have someone to stay for, nothin’ in the world could drag me away.”

Across and further down the table Henry gave an exaggerated gag, and Hannah broke her gaze to give the fourteen-year-old a livid glare, one that promised much pain and torment for him if he didn’t knock it off. “Shut it, you!”

Amanda laughed briefly at that before she sobered, once more meeting Hannah’s father’s eyes. “But one thing I can say for a certainty is that I never stole anything that anyone actually needed. Who really cares if some magical artifact gets taken?” She shook her head. “I _never_ stole anything if it would directly hurt someone. No money, no food, no clothes, nothing like that. Only dusty old magic items from ancient crypts and old museums, things tucked away from use or view, things that half the time the owner didn’t even realize they were _gone_.”

“What did you do with them?”

There was a contemplative pause before a sly little smile touched Amanda’s lips. “Why, that would be telling, Mister England, and a lady can’t reveal _all_ her secrets.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “And besides, some of those things I took were actually really dangerous. The less that’s known about them, the better.”

Now Hannah was really curious, as well. “How much stuff have you stolen? Rumors have you practically being a kleptomaniac.”

Amanda snorted as she rolled her eyes. “Rumors exaggerate. Including the job that I got caught at and the Shooting Star, less than ten.”

“So few?” Hannah asked.

“Give me _some_ credit, Han, I’m not even eighteen yet. Where would I find the time to pull off a ton of robberies?”

“And hopefully not too many more in your future,” Hannah’s mother said, her voice demure as she brought her teacup to her lips.

Amanda paused at that, those expressive green eyes once more finding Hannah. “Why should I want to steal if I have everything I want?”

Hannah blushed at that even as Henry gagged again, this time joined by Alice, but Hannah was too flustered by that romantic bombshell to hush them like the little brats deserved. Even her parents looked shocked at that, her father clearing his throat as her mother took a long, measured sip of her tea, her eyebrows raised high on her forehead. Groaning, Hannah buried her face in her hands. “You can’t just say stuff like that!” she whined. “I wasn’t ready for it!”

Amanda laughed, evidently quite pleased with herself at the reaction that she had drawn from all of them. “Can you blame me? I’m a Texan of Irish descent, we don’t do small gestures, especially if they’re romantic!” Then her voice sobered. “But in all seriousness, I don’t plan on ever stealing for my own sake, but if something happens where those skills are needed again to help others, I won’t hesitate to use them.”

Her father cleared his throat again. “That’s…fair,” he said after a moment’s consideration. “Thank you for your honesty.”

“I’d rather be honest and earn your trust rather than lie about what I’ve done, especially considering all you’re doing for me.”

“I appreciate it.” He regarded her with thoughtful eyes for a moment before he turned to Hannah. “So, have you given her the total tour of the manor and grounds yet?”

“Not yet, father. The shopping trip yesterday took a lot out of us, so she’s only seen the basic areas. I was going to give the grand tour today.”

He nodded before taking another sip of his coffee. “Very well. Miss O’Neill, what’s ours is yours, so don’t be afraid to make use of any of the rooms unless we’re hosting an event that would otherwise utilize a space.”

Amanda tilted her head, quirking a brow. “Pardon?”

Hannah chuckled. “It means that you don’t have to ask permission to use the home theater, the gaming room, or the rec room, love.”

Suddenly intense green eyes zeroed in on her. “Wait, y’all have a rec room?” she asked with an excited grin. “Like…with a foosball table and a ping pong table?”

“Table football and table tennis, yes,” Hannah replied with a roll to her eyes. “Perhaps now that you are going to be here for the foreseeable future, we’ll also get Skeeter’s Ball game, as well.”

“Ugh, it’s Skeeball, say it right,” Amanda groaned. “Oh, but man, I’m excited about the ping-pong. Not to brag or anything,” she said as she jabbed a thumb at herself, “but I’m hella good at it.”

“Oh?” her father said, tone suddenly _very_ interested, and Hannah had to fight the urge to groan. “Is that a fact?”

Amanda smirk. “I dunno, is that a challenge, _old man?_ ”

The table froze at that, and Hannah’s breath caught in her throat as she shot an alarmed glance at her father, who was staring at Amanda with wide eyes. Had Amanda gone too far with her teasing jab? Then her father gave a sharp bark of laughter and grinned, the expression rather reminiscent of a shark. “You bet your arse it is. Let’s just see how ‘hella’ good you are.”

And that was how they found themselves in the rec room after breakfast, Amanda and Hannah’s father standing opposite each other over the table tennis set, mock glares on their faces as they stared challengingly at one another. “Y’all ready to eat my dust, Mister England?” Amanda quipped.

“Bold of you to presume which of us will be eating the other’s dust, Miss O’Neill. Ready?”

“Ready.”

What followed was a battle of titans. Her father had been a champion at table tennis back in his college days, and while he was a bit rusty, he was still highly skilled. Amanda had a sharper eye and faster reflexes and an almost surgical precision, but that was countered by greater skill at trick shots from her opponent. They both traded the first place spot point after point, and Amanda only just narrowly took the first game, with Hannah’s father winning the second game by a two point lead. And throughout it all, oh! The _trash_ talking, the ribbing and mocking and teasing, both of them giving as good as they got, and the rest of the family were laughing as they looked on.

It struck Hannah, then, as her father and Amanda got ready for the tie breaker game, that Amanda had managed to completely win over her father. He was honestly having a fun time with her…Amanda’s competitive spirit had spoken to something in her father. There was no trace of his initial disdain and distrust as they both lifted their paddles.

“Thanks for this,” Amanda laughed, a sheen of sweat standing out on her forehead. “It’s been a while since I’ve really been able to play like this.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and besides, the others have banned me from playing in any tournaments at school, especially if there’s money involved.”

This was the first time Hannah had heard of this. She had heard of said tournaments but had never had much of an interest in playing in them. “Why not?” she asked.

“It’s because they say I cheat, which I object to.” She smirked. “Ain’t cheating if it’s a natural ability…” she trailed off leadingly, eyes sparkling mischievously.

Hannah’s father straightened, an amused look on his face. “Right, I’ll bite. _What_ natural ability?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Mister England. I like you enough that I won’t use it against you…I’d feel bad if I completely demolished you in your own house.”

“Oh ho!” he barked out. “That’s rather cocky!”

Amanda winked. “Ain’t cocky if it’s true, sir.” Her smirk widened to a full on grin. “Here, tell you what. If you want to try to win against me when I’m pulling out all stops, I’ll cut you a deal. If you score once against me, you win.”

“Oh? Not even scoring twice? Only the one time?”

Amanda nodded, tossing him the ball. “Just the once, sir.” She let out a slow breath, eyes growing half-lidded and almost unfocused as she crouched.

Her father shrugged. “Well, then. My win.” Raising his paddle…he served.

What followed was nothing more than a wholesale slaughter. If Amanda had been fast before, now she was like lightning, and only three times did the ball even touch her side, including once where her father unleashed his most powerful slice, the one where the ball hooked sharply through the air well away from the table before arcing in and only just touching Amanda’s side. Yet the second the ball had left the paddle, Amanda was _moving_ , darting away from the table, paddle so low it was almost touching the floor, almost as though she could _see_ exactly where-

Oh. Oh! _That’s_ how she was doing it! Oh, that was _cheap!_ Hannah had to bite her tongue at the frustrated look on her father’s face, and it was a challenge to not say anything until the match was over, 15-0, Amanda’s favor.

Her father was panting as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “ _How?_ ” he exclaimed, staring at Amanda with suspicious eyes.

“Do you want help, dad?” Hannah asked, shooting Amanda a sly grin, and Amanda looked back at her questioningly as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“I’m not sure what could help against _that,_ ” her father retorted. “But sure, fine.”

“Okay, try again.”

Once more, the two titans went back at it, and Hannah waited until they were absorbed in the game itself before she unobtrusively pulled out her wand, whispering the incantation under her breath as she followed the ball with her eyes, waiting until-

Amanda returned the ball and her father danced back, eyes sharp, and Hannah released the spell just before his paddle met the ball, and Amanda could only flinch, eyes losing that oddly lost quality to them as she twitched, straightening in surprise…just as the ball bounced twice on her side, giving her opponent a point.

Hannah strode up to the table, smirking victoriously as the two of them straightened. “Precognition, right? I’d bet anything that’s how you avoid most of the traps in those crypts and tombs.” She bent down, snatching up the ball from where it rested on the floor. “But a simple spell to conceal the ball from any Sight based abilities, and presto.” She tossed Amanda the ball. “The playing field is leveled.”

Her father stared at them in shock before laughing. “What _can’t_ witches do?” he asked. “I’m glad you didn’t unleash that on me in the first place, Miss O’Neill.” He set down his paddle, reaching out a hand, and Amanda shook it with a grin. “I trust we will play again, and soon.” He smirked. “And hopefully without any magical abilities helping you out.”

“Oh, absolutely, Mister England.”

They stood there for a moment, hands clasped, silent and still, almost as though they were having a conversation with only their eyes, and after a moment Hannah’s father huffed out a silent chuckle, reclaiming his hand. “Welcome to the England Manor, Amanda.”

A wide, toothy grin. “An absolute pleasure to be here, Harold.”

Amanda O’Neill was now, without any shadow of a doubt, a member of the England Household, and Hannah’s heart swelled with relieved joy. Amanda wasn’t going anywhere!


End file.
